Code Lyoko: The Diitto Generation
by Lavender Moonlight in the Snow
Summary: Years after Xana was reportedly destroyed, Jeremie Belpois completes a supercomputer of his own.  But, just as it is activated, something goes horribly wrong, and a new generation of warriors is created in the crisis so that they might save their parents.
1. Prologue and Introduction

_I do not own Code Lyoko or the characters, places, plot concept, etc. found in the original television series. I created all other characters and the new plot for this story, however. I am writing this story for fun, not profit, because I think Code Lyoko is the best cartoon of all time and want to pay tribute to it through my writing.

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**Prologue**

There was one Xana attack that the original Lyoko warriors - a group of Kadic Academy students named Jeremie Belpois, Aelita Stones, Odd Della Robbia, Yumi Ishiyama, and Ulrich Stern - do not remember. During that lost adventure, Xana attempted to take control of the world by freezing time itself. He failed, ultimately, and the children launched a modified return to the past to negate the effect of his attack. The modifications Jeremie made to the familiar program erased the warriors' memories of the weeks that they alone spent awake in a world frozen in darkness.

This particular adventure happened before Aelita learned that she was the daughter of Franz Hopper, before William was named a Lyoko warrior, and before Ulrich and Yumi decided that they were just good friends.

Needless to say, Xana never attempted to do anything with time again so the adventure - and any logs or computer modifications that accompanied it - remained buried deep within the supercomputer located in the basement of the abandoned factory close to Kadic Academy.

Eventually, the Lyoko warriors managed to defeat Xana and shut down the supercomputer for good. Time passed, and the six that knew about Lyoko and the bane that had been Xana aged and started families of their own. Jeremie and Aelita became engaged during college and married once they had both finished their education. Ulrich and Yumi stopped pretending that they were just good friends mere days after the supercomputer was shut down. They married as well. William married a girl from his hometown, one day simply stopping his tireless attempts to steal Yumi's heart. Odd, ever the ladies man, was somehow unable to find the perfect someone to settle down with (though he vowed that he would search until his dying breath) and had to settle for being the coolest of uncles, both for his sisters' children and for his friends' - for each of the other Lyoko warriors became parents with time.

All six of the Lyoko warriors remained good friends, and thus their children grew up among one another. Jeremie and Aelita's boys, Franz and Waldo, lived with their parents at the Hermitage during their earliest years and Franz became a boarder Kadic Academy when he was old enough. (The boys reportedly drove their parents insane with their mischief to the point where Jeremie and Aelita didn't even intend to give Waldo a choice about boarding when he became old enough to attend Kadic.) Ulrich and Yumi had two beautiful dark-haired girls, identical twins, named Katja and Kokoro. They grew up in a house much like the one their mother had lived in her entire life, and when they were old enough to attend Kadic both opted to become day students after hearing horror stories from their auntie Aelita about how some girls at school monopolized the bathrooms and how there was never any hot water for showers. William and his wife Jillian had two children as well, Matthias and Nancy. Matthias was enrolled as a boarder at Kadic when he became old enough, mainly because his parents had recently split and boarding him was reportedly the best way to have him adjust. Nancy was told that she would be a boarder at Kadic when she was old enough as well, and until then she spent the majority of each summer with her father and the majority of each school year with her mother.

Now, contrary to what one might believe, the original Lyoko warriors did not hide Lyoko from their children. They raised them on stories of their adventures. The children were brought to the factory on multiple occasions and knew full well of the supercomputer, though when Franz boldly tried to turn it on once nothing happened. This was because, many years before, Jeremie had disabled the supercomputer predominately while gathering data for his own virtual world. He spent the majority of his free time over the years writing complex programs for a virtual world he dubbed 'Diitto.'

'Diitto' was created for both the original Lyoko warriors and for their children. Jeremie spent almost twice the amount of time creating it as Franz Hopper (even with the aid of his supercomputer's return to the past) did to create Lyoko, and many of the programs that made up Diitto were based off of programs that Franz Hopper had created for Lyoko.

The result was that one morning Jeremie approached his wife and hugged her from behind. Aelita, who had been cooking breakfast for her family of four that late summer day, kissed Jeremie on the cheek before he released her and leaned up against the kitchen counter.

"It's ready," he said.

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**Introductory Author's Note**

**(Please spend two minutes reading this – it explains a lot!)**

This is the first piece of Fanfiction that I've ever had the courage to post on this site. I've hesitated to post something for so long because I don't want to be one of those authors that begins a story, loses interest, and then leaves it unfinished for all of eternity. But, I'm happy to say that I have an ending in mind for this story - it can have as much middle as my attention span allows, but I do know how it will end, so if I ever find myself dreading the next section of the story I'll do my readers a favor and wrap it up.

That said, I'd like to devote a couple more paragraphs to some housekeeping. This is a story predominately about the children of the original Lyoko warriors. I was inspired to write it after reading a few other stories about the children of the original Lyoko warriors, determined to break the stereotypes that most (not all, though) had created. For starters, Aelita was not going to have a beautiful pink-haired little girl - she got to hyperactive boys instead. Ulrich did not have a son - he got two girls instead. Lyoko is no more, and instead I've brought Diitto into the story (which, in my opinion, is a tad cooler, though I'm probably biased.)

And again, while I have the beginning and an end in mind, the middle of this story is a clean slate with a few ideas I could work with, but I'm sure what pops onto my screen will mostly be based on my mood. What I would really appreciate from my readers is plot feedback. So, feel free to shout out comments in any reviews you may give. I would love to know the thoughts my readers have on my work.

Anyway, it's time to move on to the story. I'll drop notes along the top and bottom of each section to try and make things clearer or just give my readers some insight into what the hell I'm doing with my characters and plot. I take my writing very seriously, and again, I would appreciate if you took the time to review the story if you read it. But, I will do my best not to nag insanely about reviews out of this section and the last section of each part.

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**Editing Notes**

I will keep this place updated with any edits I make to previously posted sections. If I find something I really want to add into the story, but to do so I'll have to change an early section, I'll tweak the section and then post here (and in the newest section) that I've made the changes.

**January 1, 2011**

- After realizing that the name Jacob / Jake had been used in several other Code Lyoko stories I have changed Jacob Dunbar's name to Matthias Dunbar in Parts 1 through 3. From Part 4 onward I begin referring to Matthias by his new name as if he was always called Matthias after warning readers several sections before the change.

- Made several other minute changes that do not alter the story line, including but not limited to explaining how Jeremie is made to disappear, giving Aelita a van and not a car, making Kokoro and Franz not seem so distant in the first section where they interact, etc.


	2. Character Biographies

_If you whisper a wish into the wind_

_Will it come true?_

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Character Biographies**

The following contains detailed notes on the characters in the story! Do not read the biographies before completing Part 3 of the story unless you would like to risk learning things about the Diitto warriors' personalities before they are revealed in the story, and don't read the biographies until completing Part 4 unless you would like to risk learning about all of my characters' special Diitto powers! The notes on the minor characters in the story are just general and serve to keep me (and my readers) from becoming confused by the sheer number of them.

The above is fair warning. Continue only if you don't mind spoilers! (Hint: to easily find a certain character use the Find feature on your computer! I sort everyone, even the teachers, by first name, so you won't find Jean-Pierre Delmas under the D section, but the J section instead.)

Also, pay attention to the poem in italics framing this section. It might have something to do with my plot, but that's all I'm hinting for now. ;)

_This section was last updated on January 31, 2011._

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Aelita Stones** (formerly Aelita Hopper and Aelita Schaeffer)

Aelita began working part time as a DJ in college and continued until her children were 6 and 4. During the time when both she and her husband, Jeremie, were at work, Yumi and Ulrich watched Franz and Waldo. Through her work as a DJ, Aelita was able to amass enough money to easily fund the creation of Diitto. After retiring she made a point to spend more time with her children and Jeremie.

Aelita tried in vain to prevent Xana from taking four of the original Lyoko warriors, and devotes nearly all of her waking time to working on getting them back. (She doesn't always sleep and eat when working, either.) Though Franz and Waldo help her at times, Aelita is single-handedly working to bring the others home since she did help with Diitto's coding and is familiar with it.

Though Aelita rarely visits Diitto, when she does she wears a pink and green tunic, white pants, and a leaf circlet on her head. A pink device on her hand triggers wings, allowing Aelita to fly on her own, though the wings vanish instantly if she is hit. Aelita's circlet allows her to project thoughts and images into the minds of others. Her weapon is known as energy field – pink orbs of light that she can fire at foes upon command. Aelita also has retained her creativity on Diitto, though only in the arctic, sylvan, savanna, and alpine regions because they are based off of Lyoko's polar, forest, desert, and mountain regions respectively.

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Alexander Hapasky**

One of the eight Russian exchange students at Kadic Academy, Alexander (or Sasha) has short brown hair and is the only one out of his family to have blue eyes. Ivan is his younger brother. He rooms with his cousin, Nikolai, on the fourth floor of the Elizabeth building and is in the ninth grade.

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André Blanc**

A sixth-grader at Kadic Academy, André is lucky enough to have one of the singles on the second floor of the Jean-Pierre building to himself. He sits next to Waldo in several classes and likes to draw, preferring to muse quietly over his own thoughts than participate in discussions. He skateboards around the grounds occasionally. He has spiky white hair and blue eyes.

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Ashley Johnson**

Johnson teaches English at Kadic Academy. She is one of Franz's favorite teachers because she tends to favor him over the other boys in their never-ending paper ball war in her classroom.

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Catherine Farr**

Catherine is short and has short brown hair and hazel eyes. She rooms with Marthe Fournier on the third floor of the Elizabeth building and is from the states – thus she speaks English fluently. Her friends like her because she helps them with their homework, but those she rarely speak with find her bitter and unfriendly.

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Chad Smith**

An eighth-grader at Kadic Academy, Chad lives on the fourth floor of the Elizabeth building. He has short blond hair and hazel eyes. Smarter than the rest of his circle of friends, Chad spends his free time studying as opposed to being athletic. He is from England and speaks fluent English – French is his second language.

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Chakori Henry**

A sixth-grader, Chakori rooms with Nancy Dunbar on the third floor of the Jean-Pierre building. She is from India, likes to draw on herself with tubes of henna (much to the annoyance of her teachers) and is very involved with Kadic's dance club. Her personality is soft though friendly.

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Franz Hopper Belpois**

Parents: Jeremie Belpois & Aelita Stones

Height: 61.4 inches or 1.56 meters

Grade: 8th

Languages Spoken: French (100% fluency) / Japanese (90% fluency) / English (50% fluency) / Spanish (20% fluency)

Personality: Franz accurately describes himself as hyperactive and impulsive. (Several times, Franz's teachers tried to convince his parents to test him for ADHD, though because Franz was always the top of his class Aelita and Jeremie didn't feel the need.) He's likes being around other people, regardless of how the majority of his peers at school have taken to making fun of him for being so smart without having to do anything over the years. To cope with this, Franz tends to try and make jokes on the boys that make fun of him, more or less succeeding every time. Though brilliant (his parents believe Franz is smarter than either of them were at his age) Franz has several shortcomings – mainly his inability to sit still (unless playing computer or the piano) and his inability to spend more than 5 minutes planning something (though Franz claims he needs no more time than that to consider all the details for anything.) He's quite protective over his good friends, and when he gets an idea and is determined to act upon it Franz becomes one of the most stubborn people in existence.

Activities: Franz is on Kadic's soccer team, and his uncle Ulrich taught him how to play. Franz skateboards competitively, competing in the competitions that come to his school every year. He is also musically talented, having learned to play the piano from his mother during a rare period when he could sit still for long enough to do so. Franz practices pencak silat.

Diitto Costume & Abilities: Franz resembles an elf on Diitto. His ears are pointed, and his white sleeveless tunic and pants have portions that change color depending on which sector he is presently in. His weapon is a recurve bow that materializes along with him. On his back is a quiver that starts with ten arrows. If Franz uses up all ten, then he must wait for someone to program him more. When shooting a target, Franz activates a series of programs that help with his aim: _Target_, _Locked_, _Release_, and _Strike_. Later, upon realizing that Jeremie programmed elements into Diitto, he uses the programs _Ice_ and _Fire_ to freeze or enflame the tips of his arrows before shooting them so that he can either temporarily freeze an opponent or double the damage done with a normal _Strike_. Franz is able to activate the program _Timewarp,_ which allows him a slight advance in time on Diitto so that he can see things before they happen and have time to react before a disaster.

Other Notes: Franz also spends a lot of time on his computer playing video games, coding, and proving to himself that he can hack into things. He and the Stern girls share a lot of common interests, possibly propelled by the fact that Yumi and Ulrich watched him and Waldo for much of the time before Aelita quit her job as a DJ while Jeremie was working at the university. Franz rooms with Matthias on the third floor of the Elizabeth building.

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James Zachary**

Coach Zachary is, not surprisingly, the coach for Kadic's sports teams as well as its main gym instructor. He's a good-natured man who takes pride in his athletic students and is particularly fond of Franz.

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Hannah Brocker**

A biology teacher at Kadic, Brocker teaches Franz, Matthias, and Valentina as well as coordinates many of the academic trips for Kadic's students.

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Isaac Desmarais**

Issac is tall and has ginger hair that curls a bit. His peers think he has the build of a model, and many of the girls at Kadic like him. However, though handsome, Isaac lacks intelligence. Matthias has been his friend since sixth grade, liking him because of his confident and daring personality. He rooms with Stéphane Thomas on the second floor of the Elizabeth building and runs track.

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Ivan Hapasky**

Ivan, a seventh-grader, lives on the second floor of the Jean-Pierre building in a single room. He is one of the eight Russian exchange students at Kadic. Ivan has short brown hair and, like his cousins and brother, Alexander, does not speak much French.

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Jean-Pierre Delmas**

Kadic's long-time principal has aged since the original Lyoko warriors attended his school, sporting gray hair, a mustache, and a beard. He no longer moves around without the assistance of his cane and it is rumored that he plans to retire in the foreseeable future. He finds it intriguing (though he doesn't know why) that the Diitto warriors tend to have the same knack for trouble that their parents once had.

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Jennifer Lisle**

Lisle teaches history at Kadic academy.

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Jeremie Belpois**

Jeremie Belpois married Aelita after college and helped her to restore the Hermitage, her former home, so that they could raise a family there. Jeremie has worked as an instructor at a prestigious local university teaching computer classes, though most of his free time was spent on Diitto.

Trapped in the core by Xana on his first voluntary trip to a virtual world, Jeremie, being the creator of Diitto, executes a program known as the Preservation to keep himself out of Xana's grasp by essentially merging himself with the system. Though he no longer has the ability to regain human form, Jeremie can run the supercomputer from the inside when he has enough power to do so. A lot of his energy was spent saving Yumi, Odd, and William initially, so until he recovers he is unable to help the others at all.

While on Diitto, Jeremie pre-programmed his abilities and attire, wearing a simple gray outfit and encircling himself within a protective green shield. He gave himself an attack similar to Aelita's energy field, though much more effective. Jeremie's energy glows green.

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Jillian Blannk**

Jillian is Nancy and Matthias's mother and William's ex-wife. She lives on the northern shore of France and used to take Nancy during the school year while Matthias was away at Kadic, only relinquishing her children in the summer. (Matthias used to spend school holidays with her.) Since both of her children are now old enough to attend Kadic, Jillian accepted a job that requires her to travel a bit.

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Joshua Gardener**

Joshua is in the seventh grade and lives on the second floor of the Jean-Pierre building with his roommate. He's very involved with the _Kadic News_, and likes to snoop the campus for the most interesting stories so he can print them. He has short brown hair and wears glasses.

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Jules Chorter**

Chorter succeeded Jim Morales fifteen years ago as Kadic's grounds keeper, and spends his time maintaining the gardens and lawns around the school, watering the indoor plants, and patrolling the grounds after hours to be sure that none of the students leave their dormitories when they are supposed to be in bed. Before the story, he gained a disliking for Kokoro because of her tongue, Franz because of several broken pots, and Matthias because he and his friends often try to toilet paper his trailer in the dead of night.

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Katja Rei Stern**

Parents: Ulrich Stern & Yumi Ishiyama

Height: 65 inches or 1.65 meters

Grade: 9th

Languages Spoken: French (100% fluency) / Japanese (100% fluency) / English (80% fluency) / Italian (30% fluency)

Personality: Katja has a warm, friendly personality, though she is very shy. She is quite intelligent and hard working – which has allowed her to become the head of her class. Katja has the urge to make people happy and can be very selfless for others. Through the years, Katja has grown a reputation as a jack-of-all-trades, being intelligent, athletic, and pretty. Her parents sometimes wonder where she got the most social parts of her personality since neither of them are particularly social. While she is able to think quickly, Katja has always wished she had a quicker wit about her. She does have delicate feelings and sometimes will hold grudges on those who spite her.

Activities: Katja is on Kadic's soccer team. She learned how to play from her father as a little kid and is a surprisingly aggressive player on the field. Katja also occasionally writes articles for the _Kadic News_ and practices pencak silat.

Diitto Costume & Abilities: On Diitto Katja's costume resembles a butterfly. Her sleeveless oriental-style dress is golden yellow with black curved lines that become closer together around the bottom of her dress until the last two inches or so of fabric are completely black. On either side of her dress there is a cut to allow Katja more mobility. Katja wears yellow sandals with a slight heel that make her 66 inches tall on Diitto and has fingerless, form-fitting black gloves that reach an inch beyond her wrist. A pair of yellow and black butterfly wings with patterning similar to that of a swallowtail. The tips of her semi-transparent wings (which do not permit flight) harden into the handles of Katja's duel dagger-like j-shaped swords. She uses them to fight on Diitto, twisting them into a target and exclaiming _Excavate_ upon impact to maximize the damage inflicted. She is the fastest person on Diitto, and moves too quick for anyone to follow upon activating the program _Blur_. Katja also has the ability to activate _Cocoon_, a program that allows her wings to temporarily grow, harden, and completely encircle her for a few moments so that she can shield herself from attack.

Other Notes: When stressed out or very nervous, Katja tends to delevop a mild case of OCD that results in her cleaning or reorganizing whatever she can. Katja is almost 1/2 an inch taller than her twin sister. She is a day student at Kadic.

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Kokoro Ishiyama Stern**

Parents: Ulrich Stern & Yumi Ishiyama

Height: 64.6 inches or 1.64 meters

Grade: 9th

Languages Spoken: French (100% fluency) / Japanese (100% fluency) / English (70% fluency) / Spanish (20% fluency)

Personality: While not as bright as her sister academic-wise, Kokoro is very analytical and has a good head on her shoulders. However, she is easily annoyed and has no tolerance for certain people or things. Highly self-conscious, Kokoro tends to remains quiet unless around friends (during which a tomboyish personality emerges.) Though Kokoro will speak when spoken to, often replying in a blunt, crude manner that has earned her a reputation all over the school as the evil Stern twin. (Kokoro doesn't mind this.)

Activities: Kokoro plays soccer, though has always hesitated to join the team because she is worried that Franz and Katja would outshow her. She does skateboard competitively, and is very involved in the pencak silat club. Kokoro also edits the _Kadic News_, occasionally writing articles for the school paper.

Diitto Costume & Abilities: Kokoro takes on the characteristics of a lithe dragon on Diitto, having the ability to flip around as her mother but being unable to do so unless unburdened by her large fan. She is materialized in a sleeveless oriental dress that is also similar to her mother's original costume – half black and half red, with the skirt ending just above her knees. Small silver dragons pattern the fabric. Kokoro also wears black leggings, heels that make her exactly 66 inches tall, and an obi that binds her loose dress to her body as well as holds her large fan when it is not in use. Along each of Kokoro's arms are ten bracelets, alternating between red and black in color. Kokoro's fan, which has a height of 4 feet, is her primary weapon on Diitto. She can use it as a shield or launch it at a large opponent by opening it while spinning around. (However, she has very limited accuracy doing attack, and learns quickly not to rely on it.) More versatile, though still relatively inaccurate, is Kokoro's fan's _Aeroslice_, which sends a blast of sharp air at her opponent when she spins her fan. Kokoro's bracelets also allow her to fight an opponent from close range. The red ones detach, and she can make them glow with flame by spinning them quickly in her hand and then either scald her opponents or toss them a short distance at a target. When Kokoro has used all ten of her red bracelets, she is able to lock the black ones together by hitting her arms, activating the dangerous program _Dragon's Dance_. Used only as a last resort, this program transforms Kokoro into a large red and black dragon with the ability to fly around Diitto and shoot fireballs for a limited period of time. With each passing second Kokoro loses life points in dragon form, though she gains an additional 100 upon activating the program. When Kokoro loses all of her life points in dragon form her human form is rematerialized briefly before she is automatically de-virtualized by the supercomputer.

Other Notes: Kokoro was born nine minutes before her sister. She thinks of herself as a loner, and doesn't see the need in growing too close to anyone even though she cannot ever recall not adoring her parents – especially her mother, Yumi. She is a day student at Kadic.

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Maria Hapasky**

Maria, who lives on the third floor of the Jean-Pierre building with her cousin Svetlana, is the younger sister of Nikolai and Uliya. She has shoulder-length curly hair and speaks very little French.

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Marthe Fournier**

Marthe boards with Catherine Farr on the third floor of the Elizabeth building in room 6. She is undoubtedly the prettiest of the female eighth graders, of medium height with straight, silvery hair that dusts her shoulders and bright green eyes. All of Kadic knows her for her musical talent.

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Matthias James Dunbar**

Parents: William Dunbar & Jillian Blannk

Height: 67.3 inches or 1.71 meters

Grade: 8th

Languages Spoken: French (100% fluency) / English (30% fluency) / Italian (20% fluency)

Personality: Matthias is a loud child with a defensive (and sometimes aggressive) persona. He inherited much of his personality from his father, William. Highly argumentative, Matthias will never fail to vocally argue his opinion even after he learns it is wrong. But, Matthias is also very determined – he works for what he wants and his successful endeavors are usually the result of a lot of effort on his part. He appreciates people that are confident (expect when they oppose him) and thinks that those who are too quiet are weak-minded. Even though Matthias is intelligent he lacks common sense. He is the type to create and implement a large, detailed plan than any other person would have noticed at least one major shortcoming in because Matthias makes too many assumptions at times. When wrong, these assumptions have a habit of rubbing some of his peers the wrong way.

Activities: Matthias is the goalie on Kadic's soccer team, being tall enough to block the entire height of the goal and quick enough to almost always prevent the other team from scoring. He skateboards, though not competitively.

Diitto Costume & Abilities: On Diitto Matthias has snake-like qualities, having strengthened hearing. (Diitto does not have smells, or air to breathe for that matter.) He wears a primarily blue bodysuit decorated in black lines that cover his arms, legs, and body in subtle squiggles (think of how a snake slithers and the mark it would leave behind in the sand) that allows for quick movement. In fact, Matthias is the most agile on Diitto, and his abilities allow him to seek out footholds when climbing and to notice small details that the others might not. Matthias can summon a large sword into his right hand. The sword, which is 4 feet long, is thin, but has a 12-inch width. He uses it to slash at opponents close-range. Through the program _Electric Snake_ Matthias releases a current of electricity from his sword; the current then strikes his foe provided it has a means to travel to the target if he is not close by. Later, Matthias learns that he can bring balls of electricity to his hands with the program _Electrify_, allowing him an alternative form of combat close-range and from a distance, for the electricity balls strengthen as they mature.

Other Notes: Matthias gets along with his father, though he still blames him for ruining his family because of his feelings for Yumi Ishiyama. Because of this, he dislikes Yumi and started being rude to her two girls, which resulted in a lingering hatred between him and the twins. Matthias rooms with Franz on the third floor of the Elizabeth dormitory.

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Nadya Hapasky**

An eighth-grader at Kadic, Nadya rooms on the third floor of the Elizabeth building with her cousin, Uliya. She is one of the eight Russian exchange students at Kadic. Svetlana and Vladimir are her siblings. Nadya has shoulder-length, straight hair and speaks minimal French.

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Nancy Georgette Dunbar**

Parents: William Dunbar & Jillian Blannk

Height: 55.9 inches or 1.42 meters

Grade: 6th

Languages Spoken: French (100% fluency) / English (5% fluency) / Italian (0% fluency)

Personality: Nancy has a very quiet personality, reportedly gained from her mother alongside her bright red hair. She is unable to make decisions quickly, and her indecisiveness annoys Matthias much of the time. Nancy dislikes how her brother tries to make her more outgoing, being happy as she is but always tending to doubt herself when in a crisis. She is most comfortable around friends and can easily get along with the other quiet girls her age. Nancy does not ask questions when curious to an answer, instead hoping that someone would reveal the desired information with time. There are times when she acts instinctively rather than sensibly.

Activities: Upon coming to Kadic, Nancy becomes involved in the dance club after her roommate successfully convinces her to join.

Diitto Notes: Determined to never go to Diitto, Nancy devotes herself to learning how to operate the supercomputer so that she will never be put in a position that traps her as Xana's slave as her father was so many years before. She quickly memorizes the instruction manual that Aelita provides and learns basic coding from Franz and Waldo so that she can do simple repairs on the supercomputer on an as needed basis (such as programming more arrows for Franz or hacking into the school's mainframe to disconnect its cameras).

Other Notes: Nancy sees Franz and Katja as older siblings, finding that they are nicer to her than Matthias. She is a gentle person who doesn't like trouble, but she has no problem with stabbing her brother in the back as payment for all the misery he put her through. Nancy lives on the third floor of the Jean-Pierre Building with her roommate, Chakori.

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Nikolai Hapasky**

One of the eight Russian exchange students at Kadic Academy, Nikolai has short, wavy brown hair that would curl if he allowed it to grow out. Uliya and Maria are his younger sisters. He rooms with his cousin, Alexander, on the fourth floor of the Elizabeth building and is in the ninth grade.

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Nicole Rousseau**

A sixth-grader at Kadic, Nicole rooms with Sylvie Lockheart on the third floor of the Jean-Pierre building. She has a quiet nature and plays the flute. Nicole has black hair that she keeps as short as a boy's and blue eyes.

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Odd Della Robbia**

After graduation, Odd returned home to the states and opened an art shop. Though he tried desperately, he was unable to find a woman to settle down with, so he took to spoiling his sisters' children along with the Stern girls and the Belpois boys. When Diitto was activated, Xana trapped Odd in the core sector so that he could make him his slave and get revenge for what happened to him years ago. However, Jeremie prevented this by severing his digital essence from the rest of his code and eventually embedding it within Valentina elsewhere on Diitto.

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Olivine Oaks**

An eighth-grader at Kadic, Olivine rooms with Sara Ramirez on the third floor of the Elizabeth building. Olivine has darker skin and dark brown hair with brown eyes and has difficulty keeping her mind on her studies.

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Sara Ramirez**

An eighth-grader at Kadic, Sara rooms with Olivine Oaks on the third floor of the Elizabeth building. Sara is Spanish, and has dark hair and hazel eyes. Her hair is kept just beyond her shoulders. She plays soccer.

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Stéphane Thomas**

Stéphane, an eighth grader at Kadic, shares a room on the second floor of the Elizabeth building with his best friend, Isaac Desmarais. What Isaac does not have in brain Stéphane makes up in cunning, being a very observant individual. Matthias and Stéphane have been friends since sixth grade. Stéphane is of medium height, has unruly dark hair, dark eyes and skateboards.

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Svetlana Hapasky**

Svetlana, who lives on the third floor of the Jean-Pierre dormitory with her cousin Maria, is one of the eight exchange students at Kadic. Nadya is her older sister and Vladimir is her older brother. She speaks little French and keeps her long hair in a ponytail much of the time.

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Sylvie Lockheart**

A sixth-grader at Kadic, Sylvie rooms with Nicole Rousseau on the third floor of the Jean-Pierre Building. She has a bold nature and likes to play soccer. Her golden hair is shoulder-length and she has brown eyes.

**

* * *

Terri Bates**

The grizzled old librarian at Kadic Academy, Mrs. Bates is notorious for being nearly blind even with her glasses. While she dislikes those who make noise in the library, she is actually a preferred detention overseer.

**

* * *

Ulrich Stern**

After marrying Yumi Ishiyama, his lifelong love, Ulrich settled with her near some of his old friends and his old school. He and Jeremie were the original masterminds behind making a new virtual world, though wasn't able to do much during the building process aside from design the bunker at his company. (Ulrich works at an architectural firm about thirty minutes from his house.) When Xana captures Yumi, Ulrich wants nothing more than to wake up from his greatest nightmare and is hesitant to allow his daughters to fight him. Though with time he comes to realize that his girls and the other children will be the ones to save their parents and loosens his protective grip on them.

On Diitto, Ulrich still has his samurai costume. It's similar to the original one he wore on Lyoko, though he retained the device on his back to store his twin samurai swords. Ulrich has the ability to activate the programs _Supersprint_, _Triplicate_, _Fusion, _and_ Triangulate_. He is one of the fastest people on Diitto.

**

* * *

Uliya Hapasky**

By far the prettiest of the Russian exchange students at Kadic, Uliya has long, curly brown hair and soft eyes. She is Nikolai and Maria's sister and rooms with her cousin Nadya on the third floor of the Elizabeth building. Like the rest of her family, she speaks little French.

**

* * *

Valentina Heart Kotov**

Parents: Lev Kotov & Louise Della Robbia

Height: 58.7 inches or 1.49 meters

Grade: 8th

Languages Spoken: English (100% fluency) / Russian (100% fluency) / French (70% fluency)

Personality: Valentina is a spoiled only child that grew out of hand as she aged. She has a blunt personality and isn't afraid to curse out those who oppose her – be they teachers or her own parents. Valentina enjoys toying with other people's emotions, liking to find something to make them snap back at her and then using what she knows as bait to have even more fun or, occasionally, as blackmail. She's never bothered to befriend anyone throughout her life, finding that it would be dangerous to tell anyone all of her secrets and not seeing the point in getting too know someone when she likely would not see them again if she had to change schools. Her parents sent her to three different schools between the ages of 8 and 12, and over the year before she attended Kadic at 13 her mother home-schooled her, forcing French upon her daughter in preparation for boarding school. For sending her away, Valentina intends never to forgive her parents. She misses her cat, Koshenka, and though Diitto intrigues her Valentina feels that she would return to the states if she received the chance. For this, she is determined, just as before, not to grow too close to anyone around her. While she sometimes seems simple and quiet, Valentina's mind is more than likely on overdrive – taking in detail after detail so that she'll be able to tackle the world as the bold spirit she is once she's gotten settled into her new surroundings.

Activities: Valentina used to run at one of her old school, and jumps at the chance to join Kadic's cross country team.

Ditto Costume & Abilities: Valentina is a wolf on Diitto. She wears a pale blue costume that covers every part of her save for her head, which has a pair of furry ears seemingly fixed atop it. The underside of the costume is white. On Diitto, Valentina's hands and feet are transformed into large paws and she has a bushy wolf's tail. Her large claws can cut through almost anything, and are also allow the girl to scale cliffs and even walk on a ceiling with ease. The program _Ice Ray_ (the only program not activated by French) allows Valentina to shoot a beam of immobilizing ice at her opponent. Similar to how her uncle Odd could at one point see the future, Valentina sometimes gets flashes of events that happened previously through another's eyes when virtualized. This ability isn't categorized as a self-created program, though it is dubbed Aftersight.

Other Notes: Though she'll never allow herself to grow close to anyone, Valentina does like being around people and enjoys being the center of attention. She lives on the fourth floor of the Elizabeth dormitory in a single room because her mother (wrongly) claimed she didn't speak enough French to get along well with a roommate.

**

* * *

Vladimir Hapasky**

The most handsome of the male Russian exchange students, Vladimir lives in a single on the fifth floor of the Elizabeth building and is in the tenth grade. He has shoulder-length brown hair of a shade lighter than the rest of his family. Like them, he speaks minimal French, though seems to understand everything that is said to him. Nadya and Svetlana are his younger sisters.

**

* * *

Waldo ****Stones**** Belpois**

Parents: Jeremie Belpois & Aelita Stones

Height: 57.1 inches or 1.45 meters

Grade: 6th

Languages Spoken: French (100% fluency) / Japanese (90% fluency) / English (30% fluency) / Russian (0% fluency)

Personality: Waldo is much quieter and calmer than his older brother, Franz, and is somewhat easily intimidated. He is athletic and enjoys movement, though is generally unable to gather the coordination and enthusiasm required for competitive sports. Though not as experienced as his brother, Waldo's true talent lies with computers and he loves anything to do with electronics – from playing a game to disassembling an old computer monitor. Waldo has a cheeky side to him that only emerges when he is around those he trusts. He's quiet naïve socially, though isn't totally oblivious to his surroundings.

Activities: Waldo (under Aelita's coaxing – she believes he needs something athletic to do at school) tries out for the soccer team at Kadic. He also attends pencak silat club and skateboards, but his heart isn't in anything competitive since he began teaching himself advanced coding.

Diitto Costume & Abilities: Waldo wears dark green pants and a long-sleeved shirt that together appear to be a single article of clothing. Both have thick, silvery stitching that crisscrosses the fabric to give him a mechanical look. Waldo has only one ability on Diitto – Originality. (Aelita determines that he inherited her primary ability upon learning of his talent.) To use his power, Waldo drops to the ground and visualizes the environment around him morphing to suit his needs. In this way, he can wall-off monsters or expose the digital sea by dematerializing the very ground beneath them. The silver on his clothes glows brightly while he is in the process of using his originality. Waldo also is very sensitive to the pulsations created on Diitto for various reasons, and can read them to learn the location of his friends and monsters, and to seek out activated towers that are hidden from sight.

Other Notes: Waldo and the Stern girls share a lot of common interests, possibly propelled by the fact that Yumi and Ulrich watched him and Franz for much of the time before Aelita quit her job as a DJ while Jeremie was working at the university, (though the age difference between Waldo and the Stern twins has made him less close to them than his brother.) He lives on the second floor of the Jean-Pierre building in a single room.

**

* * *

William Dunbar**

William gave up in his never-ending pursuit for Yumi's heart only after she announced her engagement to Ulrich Stern in their final year of college. Soon after, he dated and married a friend from college, Jillian Blannk, and together they had Matthias and Nancy. But William never lost his love for Yumi, so he and Jillian divorced. Though his relationship with the rest of the Lyoko warriors was always somewhat strained, William kept in touch with them through the years. When Diitto was activated, Xana trapped William in the core sector so that he could try and make him his slave and get revenge for what happened to him years ago. However, Jeremie prevented this by severing his digital essence from the rest of his code and eventually embedding it within Matthias elsewhere on Diitto.

**

* * *

Yumi Ishiyama**

One of the original Lyoko warriors, Yumi married Ulrich Stern after college and settled close to Kadic Academy and her friends Aelita Stones and Jeremie Belpois. She and Ulrich are the parents of Kokoro and Katja Stern, though she and Ulrich consider Franz and Waldo to be their children as well – Yumi used to watch the Belpois boys while their parents worked. She taught all four of her 'children' Japanese and pencak silat. When Diitto was activated, Xana trapped Yumi in the core sector so that he could make her his slave and get revenge for what happened to him years ago. However, Jeremie prevented this by severing her digital essence from the rest of her code and embedding it within Kokoro elsewhere on Diitto.

**

* * *

Yves-Monique Lambert**

Yves-Monique plays soccer and is friends with Isaac, Stéphane, and the rest of their group. He is a day student at Kadic. Yves-Monique is easily recognized because he has relatively long bright blue hair and green eyes.

_

* * *

For if you give yourself to that wish_

_And are willing to give everything for it_

_Then hasn't the wind already carried it halfway around the world? _


	3. Diitto's Inception

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part One: **

**Diitto's Inception

* * *

**

**Aelita (Section 1.1)**

"Are you sure they are old enough?" Yumi seemed tense. Aelita had always been able to sense her old friend's emotions, even over the phone. "I mean, they are just children. They - they-"

"Don't forget that Jeremie was younger than Franz, Katja, and Kokoro when he discovered the supercomputer, Yumi," Aelita said reassuringly. "And Diitto is perfectly safe. I've been checking Jeremie's work myself, and there's no reason to worry so much. The worst thing that could happen is that the kids could accidentally de-virtualize themselves."

Yumi was quiet for a moment, lost in her thoughts. "And are you sure that there's no chance of anyone falling into the digital sea?" she asked, a question she must have posed at least a dozen times during the programming process over the years.

"I'm positive. Only three of the eight sectors even have ledges that drop into the sea, unlike Lyoko. And the only reason for that is aesthetic. I don't want the kids going to the swamp sector, ocean sector, or the core until they are responsible enough."

"Then why did you even let him program those sectors - the swamp and the ocean?" Yumi asked. The sound of a door slamming reached Aelita through the phone. "Wait, don't tell me, I'm sure I already know. Was that Ulrich's and Odd's idea?"

"What was my idea?" Aelita heard. Yumi, like her, was probably using speakerphone while doing housework. (Doing so was more convenient that activating the communication screen, especially since Aelita was moving around her house finishing up the laundry. Her phone conversation could easily be shifted throughout each room of the Hermitage as she activated or deactivated the intercoms that doubled as phones.)

It seemed that Ulrich had come home from work, for Yumi tersely spoke with him as Aelita heard someone on in Yumi's kitchen rip open a bag of potato chips. "Exposing the digital sea on Diitto was your stupid idea, Ulrich."

"Oh." There was a pause. "Well, it wasn't entirely my idea. And Jeremie was the one to program the sectors . . . wait, does that mean Diitto is ready?"

"Almost," Aelita said. "Jeremie is still configuring his supercomputer with the final details, though he has all the final programs saved on all the computers lying around here. Well, the ones that the boys don't have access to."

"Can't those two hack? You two could at their ages," Yumi said.

"They can," Aelita replied, unsure whether or not the ability to hack almost any computer or system was a skill she should be proud that Franz and Waldo had inherited from her and Jeremie or not. "But age has given Jeremie and me better computer skills than our boys, so I can guarantee that they haven't discovered any hint of Diitto."

"When do you think will Diitto be ready?" Ulrich asked.

"Oh, for goodness sake, Ulrich," Yumi scolded. "It'll be ready when it's ready."

"But I need to know when to invite Odd over . . ."

"How about next Saturday? The day before the kids move into Kadic. William has his children that week, and he wanted them down a few days before that to prepare for school. That would be the best day to visit Diitto for the first time."

"Okay, I'll get in contact with Odd. Later, Princess," Ulrich said, still using the nickname that he and Odd had called Aelita when they met her years ago on Lyoko. Aelita guessed that he left his kitchen - probably to call Odd on his cell phone in another room.

"Do you think this is a good idea, Aelita?" Yumi asked, concern shadowing her voice. "Lyoko was so dangerous . . ."

"Xana made Lyoko dangerous, Yumi," Aelita said softly, old memories flooding her consciousness once more. She had lost her father to Xana, and had lost years of her life to him while being held hostage on the supercomputer at the abandoned factory. (Which Aelita now owned - she had purchased it for a relatively good price years ago to preserve the supercomputer. Her younger days had been spent working as a DJ, and while Aelita had never become as famous as the group that had given the ex-performer her start, she had gotten enough money to buy the factory and fund the development of Diitto.)

"And Xana is gone, yes, I know . . ." Yumi replied quietly. "But I still have a bad feeling about this . . . as if I'd be exposing my children to something . . . something . . ."

"I understand - don't forget that I'm a mother, too," Aelita said.

"Can you promise that everything will be fine?" Yumi asked. "That our children won't be put in any danger?"

"I won't make a promise about something I cannot directly control," Aelita said. "But I can promise you that Jeremie and I have done everything we can to make Diitto as safe as can be. Chance alone can change that."

Another door opened and closed in Yumi's house. "The girls are back from the skate park," Yumi said. "I suppose I'll go and tell them the good news now. See you on Saturday, Aelita. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Yumi. End telephone conversation." Aelita said, turning off the intercom with speech recognition. She finished folding the laundry she had dumped on the couch earlier and then headed downstairs. Her boys, Franz and Waldo, were, as she had expected, on their respective computers in the study.

"No! Shoot the alien, not me, dimwit!" Franz shouted. He glanced over his shoulder quickly as Aelita entered the room and frowned at him. "I mean - err - be more careful next time."

"Don't get in my way next time," Waldo grumbled, still unaware of his mother's presence.

"Boys, I have something to tell you," Aelita said, barely able to bite back the smile growing upon her face as she apprehensively ran her hand through her short pink hair and sat in an empty chair.

Obediently (for Aelita had disconnected their computers in the past when they failed to listen to her) Franz and Waldo paused their games and turned to look at their mother, though Franz, who had never able to keep focused on something unless it truly captured his attention, continued to spin his chair in a circle while doing so.

"Your father and I have been secretly creating a digital world similar to Lyoko for years now," Aelita began. "It's called Diitto because it is based off of Lyoko, though at the same time it is very different. It-"

"You made a virtual world without telling me? I could have helped!" Waldo interrupted, widening his hazel eyes at his mother. Both he and Franz were spitting images of their father, but they had inherited Aelita's green eyes.

"They probably didn't want you to break anything," Franz said, smirking at his brother. He then stopped spinning in circles and met his mother's gaze. "But you could have asked for _my_ help," he said. "I wouldn't have ruined anything."

"If you two had helped, then Diitto wouldn't have been much of a secret, now would it?" Aelita said, feeling that statement diffused any tension. "Besides, most of that sort of programming was done _years_ ago. Recently Jeremie and I have just been working out all the bugs. We didn't want to tell you guys about Diitto until we were sure it was ready."

"Wait, is this what Dad has been doing in secret for as long as we can remember? Has he been building Diitto in the factory?" Franz asked.

"Not in the factory, in the sewer tunnels beneath it," Aelita replied.

Franz blinked at his mother in disbelief. "You mean to say that Dad's supercomputer is sitting in a pile of crap somewhere . . . ?"

"No, Franz," Aelita said curtly. "There is a part of the sewers that your father and I were able to obtain and use for Diitto. I can assure you that the supercomputer that controls your father's virtual world is located in a perfectly sanitary environment."

"Mom, you know I was just kidding, don't you?"

"Of course I do. Anyway," continued Aelita. "We will be making a trip with the Dunbars, the Sterns, and Uncle Odd to the supercomputer on Saturday for the first trip to Diitto. I expect exceptional behavior until then."

"Oh, trust me, I'll be good," Franz said.

"Me too!" Waldo squeaked.

"Excellent," Aelita said, rising from her chair. "Now, before you two glue yourself to your computers again, you have laundry to bring up to your rooms."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Like it? There's more where this came from. The first section or so set up the rest of the story, hence why they are shorter than most of the other sections I will have following them.


	4. Part 1, Section 2: Franz

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part One: **

**Diitto's Inception

* * *

**

**Franz (Section 1.2)**

Saturday morning Franz was up before the dawn could creep into his room. After changing into a white short-sleeved jacket and dark jeans he quietly made his way downstairs and poured himself a bowl of cereal. As he ate, Franz pondered waking his brother, wondering if he should invite him along, though decided against the idea. For some reason, Franz wanted to travel to the factory alone that day.

He grabbed his skateboard and used the entrance on his property to enter the sewers, skating along the path that led to the factory. As he traveled, he scanned his surroundings, wondering what direction led to the place where his father had built the second supercomputer. Had he had any idea what his father was doing over the years then Franz would have combed the sewers inside and out in search of Diitto. That must have been why his parents had hid it from him until it was ready.

The sun had settled into the sky by the time Franz made it to the abandoned factory. He climbed a ladder (he could remember watching his uncle Ulrich and uncle Odd building it when he was younger) down into the empty gallery and then walked up to the rusty (though still functional) elevator that would take him to the supercomputer.

To his alarm, the elevator wasn't waiting for him. Franz called it with a button and then waited for it to arrive. When it did he told it to go to the uppermost of the three levels that contained the various parts of the supercomputer, the place where the interface that his father had always operated sat. When Franz was younger he had often stolen away to that spot to imagine himself at the controls of a powerful computer, just like his father had been ages ago. Then, as he'd heard more and more stories about Lyoko, he had begun to imagine himself fighting creatures such as krabbes and tarantulas on the virtual world - more or less deciding that, given the chance, he would rather fight to save the world than monitor a computer.

The elevator lurched to a stop, and Franz watched the door open before him. He stepped into the dimly lit room and immediately locked his eyes upon the figure of a small girl seated in the command chair, staring blankly at the empty screen before her. For a moment, Franz stood still, trying to connect a name to the face, before he finally remembered why he knew the girl. Nancy was William Dunbar's daughter, a smallish child with her mother's curly red hair. He had used to see her fairly often before her parents divorced and William had only gotten his children for a few weekends each year outside of the summertime. Then the trips down to Paris had stopped, and Franz had more or less lost touch with her and her brother. (However, he hadn't minded not being forced to mingle with Matthias outside of school. It was bad enough being in the same class as him.)

"What are you doing here, Nancy?" Franz asked.

Nancy shrugged, not looking away from the blank computer monitor. "I don't know," she replied. As Franz remembered, she had a very high-pitched voice, even as a sixth grader. With that thought, he remembered that she would be attending Kadic that year.

"You have to know, otherwise you wouldn't be here," Franz pointed out bluntly, walking over to Nancy's side and resting his arm on the top of the chair.

Nancy was silent. Franz began to grow impatient, so he took a step forward to rest his hand on the hologram component of the supercomputer. The material was cold to his touch. "Are you excited to go to Diitto today?" he asked, not wanting the quiet to consume him.

Again, Nancy did not respond. She hid her head in her hands and made a funny muffled sound. Franz raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you _not_ excited about Diitto, then?" he asked.

"I'm scared. I don't want to be virtualized onto a digital world. What if I was possessed and captured like my father was?"

"You can't be possessed if there's nothing to possess you," Franz said. "My dad didn't program anything like Xana onto Diitto. Diitto was made for recreational purposes and because our parents were nostalgic. Dad joked just last night that after a few years he might decide to revolutionize the video game industry. My grandfather created Lyoko in the first place because he wanted to counter some sort of government thingy. Err - I don't really know much about that to be truthful."

"That doesn't really help," Nancy muttered, drawing her knees close to her chest as she finally showed her face once more, glancing at Franz with bright blue eyes. "I still don't want to go to Diitto. But both my dad and Matthias _really_ want to go, and I'm afraid that they will make fun of me if I tell them the truth. Well, I'm afraid Matthias will make fun of me . . ."

"Then don't tell Matthias," Franz said, blinking as cruel memories of the other boy returned to him. Matthias and he had never seen eye to eye, and whenever they had seen each other they usually had to be separated by force. Once Franz had gotten a nasty black eye from Matthias - he was proud to have seriously bruised the larger boy's arm in the same brawl. After that his father had called him scrappy but stupid. "Just tell your dad. I'm sure that you can find some way out of going to Diitto . . ."

Franz put his hand on his chin to think. A moment passed, then he suddenly smiled as a brilliant idea entered his mind. "Offer to be one of the last ones sent to Diitto!" he began. "There are only three scanners, anyway, and I'm sure our parents will want to go first to make sure it's safe and everything. Then take an interest in the computer monitor or the hologram component. If you pretend to be really fascinated by one or both of those then nobody will find it strange that you don't actually want to go to Diitto."

Nancy blinked at Franz, then her face slowly twisted into a smile. "Yeah . . . that would work. I'm sure that Matthias will be pushy enough to get onto Diitto in the first or second virtualization. Once he's on Diitto he might even forget all about me . . ."

"He's not that bright if I remember; he probably will," Franz said before he could catch himself. He quickly bit his tongue and waited for a rebuke from the younger girl, but she remained silent. Matthias's insult hadn't bothered her.

"So, what are you doing here, Franz?" Nancy asked, no longer consumed by her fears.

"I'm here to say goodbye to Lyoko," Franz said. He felt as if he could trust Nancy, or at least that she wouldn't make fun of him for his opinions. "My dad says that Diitto will be available to us all from today forward with some limitations. I don't think I'll ever end up back here since I know about an activated supercomputer, so I thought I'd - well - say goodbye."

Nancy turned back to the blank monitor. "I understand," she said gently. Silence followed her words. Finally, Nancy stood and then smiled timidly at Franz before heading to the elevator. "I'll leave you alone now. See you later."

"See ya, Nancy," Franz called as the elevator closed on Nancy. Once she was gone he reached out to touch the side of the computer monitor. He closed his eyes, and allowed his imagination to engulf him.

_Franz was running along a path in the forest region, red lasers flashing all around him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw a tiny bug-like creature scuttling after him. As one of the red lasers whizzed by his ear, Franz whirled around in place and . . ._

The sound of his cell phone jerked Franz from his daydream. Groaning, Franz answered the call.

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Franz, where are you?"

"Err, at the factory?"

"Oh, okay. Any particular reason why you left the house early this morning without telling anyone where you were going?"

"Err, no."

"Okay. Coming home anytime soon?"

"I'll leave now."

"Good boy. Hopefully you'll be back before your mom wakes up and has her own heart attack. See you soon."

"Bye, Dad."

Franz ended the call and then lingered at the edge of the supercomputer's monitor for a moment longer before heading back to the elevator. As he headed home, his insides began to squeeze with anticipation. For someone who had spent years dreaming of going to a virtual world, the thought that his dream would soon be reality was almost too much to handle.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I have given my best to this story, making a point to go above and beyond the general expectations of editing when it comes to Fanfiction here to make my story as smooth of a read as possible. Thus I would be honored if you would continue reading. :)


	5. Part 1, Section 3: Kokoro

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part One: **

**Diitto's Inception

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** There are two more sections in part one of the story after this one, and I intend to upload one a day. That would leave section five coming up on Wednesday, and after that I'm gonna take a break from uploading over Thanksgiving. (Not my favorite holiday in the world, but I can't complain about the lack of classes.) But, I do have good news! Today, due to some poor planning, I ended up sitting outside a building waiting for my class to start. To kill an hour I planned out Part 3 in detail and the beginning section of Part 4! I'm quite proud of what . . . oh, right, you want story now. See below.

**

* * *

Kokoro (Section 1.3)**

Kokoro trailed a dozen feet behind her mother and father, Katja walking a few steps ahead of her. Her sister had donned a flashy blue jean skirt and a yellow top that morning. As usual, Kokoro had dressed herself in something much darker. Though she also wore a jean skirt, hers was dark purple and her top was black. She and Katja were identical to a point where anyone aside from their parents had trouble telling them apart - unless of course they were wearing particularly light or dark clothing.

Soon the Hermitage came into sight, and Kokoro watched as her father reached out to clasp Jeremie Belpois, a blond man with thick glasses, on the shoulder. Congratulations were in order. It wasn't every day that someone finished a virtual world, after all.

Kokoro stopped a few steps from everyone else, moving to lean against a tree as she watched Katja and her mother walk over to Aelita and begin to talk. A moment later two blond boys, both on the smaller side of things (for neither Jeremie or Aelita were particularly tall) bolted from the front door. A second blond man (though this one had a strange purple spot on the top of his head) followed them. The older of the two boys, Franz, ran up to Kokoro's father and gave him a high five. Odd did the same a moment later before grasping Ulrich's hand in a firm shake.

"It's been too long, good buddy," Odd remarked.

"It has. You should come and visit more," Ulrich said, smirking.

"You know that I can't leave my studio for too long - unlike you I could never hold a real job, and I wasn't lucky enough to amass a small fortune like Princess over there before the age of twenty-five," Odd said, managing to sound both disappointed and airy at the same time. He then let go of Ulrich's hand and began to walk. "But, I might just find myself here a bit more since there's a new supercomputer in town. That, and I promised to check in on Valentina every once and a while."

"Who?" Ulrich asked.

"Valentina - Louise's kid. She's the crazy one - and I mean that in the best possible way. Her parents think that it would be good for her to attend boarding school for a year or two. Apparently it calmed me down at her age," Odd said with a grin. "Although my sisters don't exactly know about my secret past. Neither does Valentina, for that matter. I almost spilled the beans on the plane, though. Luckily I was speaking in French so she was probably ignoring me anyway."

"Your niece is here?" Ulrich asked, looking around.

"No, I left her in the hotel room. She has a serious case of jet lag and needs more sleep than even I did at her age. But I did promise Louise that I would deliver her to Kadic tomorrow, and I should probably be back before dinner so she doesn't think I abandoned her. The poor girl doesn't speak that much French - but she's got a flare for her English and Russian. In fact, she probably would give Kokoro's colorful vocabulary a run for her money," Odd added, grinning in Kokoro's direction. She glared at him, never having been amused by how her father had repeated some of her best arguments to his friends.

"When do we leave?"

Kokoro turned to see Franz walk over to his father and poke at his sleeve anxiously. Jeremie patted him on the shoulder before replying, "As soon as the Dunbars get here."

"But what if they are late?"

"Then we will wait for them, of course," Aelita said, smiling sweetly at her son. "Be patient, Franz. Diitto isn't going anywhere."

"But-"

"Franz, patience."

Lost for an effective argument for his cause, Franz blew a raspberry and ambled away from his parents. Kokoro stifled a laugh at the younger boy. Franz froze and glanced in her direction, and Kokoro quickly looked away so she wouldn't meet his gaze. She could tell that he stuck his tongue at her before moving away.

"They're here!" Waldo exclaimed a moment later, running along the path to meet with the three newcomers. William Dunbar, a tall dark-haired man, was flanked by a tall dark-haired boy and a smallish redheaded girl. Kokoro moved away from the group that went to greet them - she had never gotten along with Matthias Dunbar, and didn't want anything to do with him. As she neared the sewer entrance, Kokoro was pleased to see Katja do the same. Her sister held the same distaste for the brazen boy that she did.

"Can we go _now_?" Franz asked loudly, practically shouting across the yard.

"Yes, yes, we can go now," Jeremie said. "Everyone, follow me."

Kokoro watched as the adults moved to the front of the group headed into the sewers while the kids, led by Franz and Matthias, followed. She brought up the rear, as she was accustomed, and followed everyone through the door that led to the sewers from the Hermitage. Jeremie had lit the path with a series of small, inconspicuous lights on the wall; he had activated them with a switch moments earlier. It seemed that the original Lyoko warriors had thought of everything when planning their own virtual world.

The girl followed everyone through the sewers, taking a far different path from the one Kokoro knew led to the factory. After almost fifteen minutes of walking at their slow pace, the group stopped before an old, rusty door.

"Nothing like a few years in the sewers to make something look old and inconspicuous," Jeremie said. He then tapped part of the wall, and a small keypad was revealed as the wall moved away. "The entry code is 7442," Jeremie told everyone. He entered the code and then pulled open the door. Odd held it for everyone, animatedly waving the way into the room as everyone passed.

A small corridor led into a circular room, empty save for an elevator in the center and two screens embedded into the walls on Kokoro's right and left. The screens were dark. As Kokoro began to wonder what purpose they served, Jeremie began to speak, seemingly ready to reveal all of Diitto's secrets.

"The screens on either side of the room are directly linked to the supercomputer. Whoever is at the control can have them display a variety of things - the terrain on Diitto, camera footage, you name it - and they are activated by touch to some extent as well. Also, you can't see them, but there are three cameras in this room - in each room, actually."

Jeremie then approached the elevator. A keypad was clearly visible on the side of the elevator. "This elevator is like a utility elevator - it has two sides. Well, three, because you enter from the side facing the door. Now, there are-" Jeremie paused to count. "-twelve of us here. Eh, we should all fit. Pile aboard."

Kokoro bit back a crude remark about pack rats as she joined everyone else in the elevator. It just barely fit everyone. Standing by the door beside Jeremie, she was clearly able to see him enter '2011' into a keypad on the wall of the elevator as he told everyone the same code and explained that '1010' brought you to the top floor and that '3012' brought you to the bottom floor.

"Real creative, Einstein," Ulrich joked. "I'm glad to see my bunker's well protected with such creative codes." Kokoro knew that her father had designed the Diitto bunker at his company. He worked at an architectural firm.

"Believe it or not, the simple codes are for your sake, not for the children's," Jeremie replied, sending the elevator into a series of snickers. Kokoro smiled, watching as her father rolled his eyes. He was good at handling jokes about him. Unlike many teenagers, Kokoro really liked and got along with her parents. (She had once had a lengthy conversation with Odd about it. He had apparently also gotten along fantastically with his parents.) Both Yumi and Ulrich had been much like her as teenagers personality-wise.

The elevator lurched to a stop and Jeremie pressed '2' onto the keypad. The wall that Kokoro was leaning on began to retract, and Jeremie grabbed her arm just in time to keep her from falling backwards. Kokoro felt herself blush - everyone had seen her almost fall flat on her back!

"'Two' gets you into the computer room," Jeremie explained. "Had I pressed 'three,' or if I pressed it now, the door opposite this one would have opened into the scanner room. Pressing 'one' on the top floor opens the side elevator door. Pressing 'four' from the bottom floor brings you into the lounge - we'll get there in a minute - and 'five' from the same floor brings you to the supercomputer itself."

"While it is fun to be smashed against a wall, do you think we can go now?" Ulrich asked as soon as Jeremie finished speaking. Kokoro quickly turned to her father and then trailed his gaze to her mother. She and William were squished fairly close in a corner. Before Kokoro knew it, she was being pushed from the elevator by those behind her and had to shift her gaze.

The computer room was strikingly familiar to the one in the factory, though it was obvious that it had been designed several decades after the first. The hologram component was similar - larger, to accommodate three extra sectors - but almost an exact replica. There were two chairs suspended on a rotation device surrounding the hologram component, each with a large, arched computer screen suspended from the ceiling before them. The screens had keyboards beneath them, though Kokoro was sure that, like most computers these days, they were also activated by touch.

Before Kokoro had been allowed adequate time to inspect the computer room she was rushed back through the elevator into the scanner room with everyone else. Doing her best to listen to Jeremie as he spoke, she trailed her eyes up and down the three off-white columns spaced evenly around the room before being led back to the elevator and taken down to the bottom floor.

The lounge was, by far, the most interesting of the circular rooms. It was carpeted, and five hammock-like things hung from the ceiling; each had a drop-down ladder allowing access. To one side of the room was a large set of cabinets that had been custom-made to fit the curved wall. To the other side was a curved computer screen much like the ones seen on the top floor. In the back were two doors - Jeremie explained that led to a restroom and the other a closet. The wall leading into the separate rooms was flat because they had been added into the circular room. Their interiors were a bit cramped, allegedly. A couch and a coffee table sat in the center of the room.

Before leading everyone from the lounge, Jeremie pointed out a circle in the ceiling that led to a shaft that would take whoever climbed the ladder within directly to the computer room. It could be accessed via one of the hammocks. Kokoro then followed everyone else into the final room of the Diitto bunker - the one with the supercomputer itself.

"Now, the moment we've all been waiting for," Jeremie said, unable to restrain the glowing smile on his face. "It's time to turn on Diitto. Nancy, since you are youngest, would you like to do the honors?"

Nancy's eyes seemed to pop out of her head, and she backed away from the supercomputer until she ran into the wall. "No way," she said quickly. "Err, someone else can do it!"

"Why not let Kokoro turn it on?" Aelita suggested. Kokoro's eyes flashed alarm for a moment before she caught herself and adopted her standard emotionless expression. "She hasn't said a word since arriving, and thus hasn't incriminated herself in some way or another and lost the right to such an honor, unlike some people." Aelita subtly referenced her own children, who had been talking almost non-stop since they had entered the bunker, and Matthias, who had made several crude comments in response to Franz's chatter.

"Turn it on, Kokoro," Katja urged, smiling at her sister from across the room. "Then we'll be able to go to Diitto!"

Kokoro's eyes flitted to meet her mother's gaze. Yumi's smile was warm, giving her strength and courage. In a few swift steps Kokoro crossed the room and stopped before the supercomputer. Slowly, she reached for the handle that would switch on the computer, clasped it, and then tugged.

The supercomputer began to glow, and Kokoro released the switch and stepped backwards - bumping into her father, who put his hands on her shoulders. The multilayer cylinder then seemed to melt into the floor "Where it would be safer" according to Jeremie.

Odd began to clap, and others followed his lead. "To Einstein! To Diitto! Now let's go fight some Jeremie-controlled laser monsters!" As a feeling of extreme nervousness rose within her chest, Kokoro followed everyone back into the elevator once more and up to the middle level of the bunker.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Just to clarify, most of the dialogue in this story is in French, but my characters are all multilingual. Code Lyoko is a French cartoon, taking place somewhere in France, and I'm not going to ignore that. The other languages that will appear occasionally are Japanese, Russian, and English. I'm fluent in English (obviously) while I study Russian presently and took two years of Japanese (so I know the structure of the language, I just don't remember anything else. I'll adopt it again next year when my schedule allows room!) When my characters speak in a language other than French I will specify the language, and when they switch back to French I tend to specify that as well.

Other than that, hope you enjoy! And to those of you who want to know, I can promise that they _do_ get to Diitto in the next section! It will be the longest section yet.


	6. Part 1, Section 4: Yumi

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part One: **

**Diitto's Inception

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**

**Author's Note: **Hehe . . . I knew this section was longer than the previous three, but I didn't realize just how much longer until uploading it as its own document. Eighteen pages . . . they are good, I swear. Be sure to let me know what you think! I'll probably end up uploading the last section sometime tomorrow morning also, and again I'll say that after that I'll take a break for the weekend until the 28th or so of November.

To the few of you that have reviewed, I would also like to say that you have my sincerest thanks.

**

* * *

Yumi (Section 1.4)**

"Did we hear you correctly?" Odd asked, awe in his voice. "You're actually going to Diitto?"

"I have to; there's one last thing I have to do - a program that I have to run in the heart of Diitto," Jeremie said simply. He then glanced at Aelita, who had already taken a seat in one of the control chairs in the computer room. "But Diitto is ready otherwise, and still perfectly safe," the man then added hastily, catching sight of Yumi's raised eyebrow.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Odd said, barely able to conceal his excitement. "To the scanner room!"

"Slow down, Odd. Only three people can be virtualized at once - any more would have taxed the system too much. And only nine people can be sent to Diitto at any given time. The limit for Lyoko was seven, but of course only six of us even knew about the supercomputer, so we never encountered that particular clause. That means that three people won't be going today - to keep the supercomputer from stressing itself we should only have it process a maximum of nine people - simply put - each day or so."

"I won't be going today since Jeremie is going, instead I'll stay here and monitor everyone else," Aelita said. "Does anyone want to volunteer to keep me company?"

Yumi felt obligated to stay, but at the same time if either Kokoro or Katja went to Diitto then she wanted to go as well simply to keep an eye on them, to make sure they were safe. She wondered if anyone would volunteer, or if Jeremie and Aelita would have to decide who went and who stayed some other way.

"I guess I'll stay, since nobody else is volunteering."

Nancy stepped forward, though the expression on her face was anything but sullen - in fact, she looked as if she was having a hard time keeping herself from grinning wildly. Yumi bit back a smile, wondering if William's little girl hadn't wanted to go to Diitto in the first place. She was certainly unlike her father in that regard.

"Any other volunteers, or will we have to use a random number generator?" Jeremie asked.

"I'll stay - but just this time," Waldo said, stepping forward. "I want to be assured a spot on the next trip, okay?"

Most of the adults, including Yumi, stifled a laugh. "That's reasonable, Waldo," Jeremie said, biting back his own grin. "In that case, everyone else follow me to the scanner room."

In the scanner room, Jeremie stepped into one of the scanners, ironically demonstrating how the virtualization program began for the children. He then requested that two of the adults join him on the first trip. Odd and William jumped at the chance.

"Transfer Jeremie, transfer Odd, transfer William," said Aelita. As her voice entered the room via the communication system the scanners closed; Yumi heard them begin to hum with their activation. "Scanner Jeremie, scanner Odd, scanner William. Virtualization."

Then there was silence. Yumi knew that those on Diitto could only communicate with those in front of a computer monitor, and that the silence was normal, though it still made her edgy. _Had the process worked, or had something gone terribly wrong?_

"I can take three more now," Aelita said at last. Yumi breathed a sigh of relief, and then caught Ulrich's eye. "Odd, Jeremie, and William have arrived safely in the sylvan region."

"Ladies first?" Ulrich suggested, nodding politely toward the scanners as they reopened. The first three people to be sent to Diitto had left no trace behind, as expected.

As Kokoro and Katja eagerly moved toward the scanner, Yumi glanced at the two boys' faces. Franz had initially looked downhearted upon realizing that he would be going last, though seemed to force a smile on his face as he watched Yumi's girls enter the scanners. Matthias, however, seemed quite annoyed to learn that he would be transferred last, and made no attempt to hide his feelings. Going last would be good for the young boy.

As Yumi stepped into her scanner, she met Ulrich's gaze and smiled. He winked at her, an action that never failed to send butterflies through her chest. Then the scanner doors closed and the virtualization process began. Yumi closed her eyes and let her nostalgia overwhelm her.

"Transfer Katja, transfer Kokoro, transfer Yumi." Aelita's voice could be heard from the inside of the scanner Yumi was in. "Scanner Katja, scanner Kokoro, scanner Yumi. Virtualization."

Yumi opened her eyes as a tickling sensation - that of being materialized on Diitto - engulfed her. As soon as the process was complete she felt herself fall through the air, only just remembering to catch herself before landing. Both of her girls weren't so lucky; they crashed on their rears before her with startled squeaks.

As Yumi stood, she looked herself over from top to bottom. Her costume wasn't nearly as sleek as the one she remembered having Jeremie make for her in the tenth grade, instead resembling the one that Lyoko had given her initially. It had, of course, adapted to the fact that she was now an adult. Her oriental dress was red and black with intricate golden floral designs, tied with a yellow obi around her middle, and she wore red pants with long overlapping black stockings. Her heels were black, adding a good two inches to her height. The last part of her costume consisted of a pair of black and red gloves that fitted perfectly and ran to her elbows.

"Mom, you look really pretty!"

Katja was at Yumi's side, gazing up at her in awe. Yumi scanned her more affable daughter, an unexplainable feeling of pride surging through her as she did so. Katja's costume resembled that of a butterfly. She had transparent black-and-yellow wings sticking out of the back of her costume. The coloration was similar to that of a swallowtail butterfly. The sleeveless oriental-style dress that she wore was of the same color scheme, mostly yellow with black curved lines that became more condensed around the skirt, which cut off at her ankles. On her left and right the dress was cut, probably to allow Katja more freedom while she moved, and Yumi could see black leggings beneath. Yellow sandals with a slight heel and fingerless black gloves completed the outfit.

"Thank you, sweetheart. You look beautiful as well."

Yumi then turned to Kokoro, watching as her other daughter shook an arm back and forth, staring at the jingling red and black bangles that covered it. She had never seen Kokoro don jewelry in her life, and could understand how confused her daughter was to find that her subconscious desires had given her a Diitto costume with bracelets. The rest of Kokoro's costume (strikingly like her own) was half black and half red, though the delicate decorative print on her sleeveless oriental-style dress was silver and seemed to consist of a hundred tiny dragons. The dress was quite similar to Katja's, though shorter - the skirt ended just above her knees. Kokoro's leggings were black, like the obi sash that tied her clothes to her and her heels. But, as Kokoro began to rotate, trying to get a better look at herself, Yumi noticed that the obi wasn't an obi at all - it did bind her dress to her, but it's primary purpose seemed to be holding a large closed fan that was slightly off the vertical of Kokoro's spine. At once the Japanese woman realized that Kokoro would not be able to do any of the acrobatic flips that Yumi had relied on when she was her daughter's age because the large fan would get in her way.

"You look wonderful, too," Yumi told Kokoro, for to praise one child and not the other was asking for trouble. All parents learned that very soon after becoming parents.

"Why the hell do I have bracelets?"

Yumi chose not to try and answer her daughter's rhetorical question, instead turning to glance at the others around her. Odd still resembled a giant purple cat, though the tacky images of Kiwi, his old dog, were absent from his Diitto costume. But there was something sharper about his new costume, almost as if part of it was to warn anyone from getting too close - brushing against the jagged edge of his arm, for instance, would surely cause someone to lose life points.

The Japanese woman then turned to Jeremie, whom she had never before seen in virtual world costume. She was somewhat disappointed. It seemed that Jeremie had preprogrammed his attire, and wore a simple white tunic and pants with gray stripes along the side. He did not appear to carry any weapons, though as Yumi looked at him she realized that there was an orb encircling him that glowed a faint green.

Someone tapped her shoulder. Yumi turned to see William standing behind her, grinning cheekily. William wore a black and white well-fitting bodysuit and was propped up against a large white sword. At the sight, Yumi had to keep herself from flinching. She had spent her final days on Lyoko fighting William while Xana possessed him. Though he looked years older and his costume wasn't nearly as dark as it had been, she still felt the need to be defensive around him. (Though that wasn't necessarily a side effect from Lyoko - nearly every time she had seen William over the years she had always had to rebuff his encounters to the point where it had become uncomfortable to be around him. He had become worse after his divorce, and Yumi was beginning to wonder what was wrong with him - she had fallen in love with Ulrich years ago and nothing was going to change that.)

"Well, what do you know, you finally've made it to a virtual world without someone possessing you," Yumi teased.

"There's a first time for everything, Yumi," William said. "In fact-"

Suddenly, three figures appeared in the air. A series of tiny white panels seemed to solidify them, and then they dropped to the ground. Yumi watched as Ulrich stood, having caught himself before falling onto his rear, and then met his shaky smile with her own. He wore an adult's version of the yellow and black samurai costume he had originally had on Lyoko, though had retained the device on his back that carried his twin swords.

"Welcome to Diitto," Yumi said, stepping toward Ulrich. She took his hand and then followed Ulrich's gaze as he watched Franz and Matthias instantly began criticizing one another's costumes.

Matthias had materialized wearing a blue and black bodysuit that resembled his father's in design, though the black markings were more condensed than the markings on William's bodysuit and somewhat squiggly. Franz's attire consisted of a white and green sleeveless tunic and pants - each garment started out white and became solid green by the bottom. He had also materialized with a quiver of arrows on his back and a white recurve bow. There was something slightly elven in his overall appearance. After he had inspected his green-tipped white gloves, Franz noticed Matthias's lack of a weapon and wasted no time in loudly pointing that out.

"Well, I guess some people have more a creative subconscious than others."

Narrowing his eyes at Franz, Matthias replied, "At least I don't look like a fruitcake."

Franz flared his nostrils, reaching for his bow as Jeremie and William stepped forward to prevent their sons from bickering. "Matthias, I had to summon my weapon when I arrived," William said, gripping the handle of the sword he now had propped over his shoulder. "You probably have to do the same."

Matthias turned to Jeremie. "Is that true?" he asked, tone defensive.

Jeremie nodded. "Whether one's weapon appears when they are virtualized depends on the one who is virtualized. I don't have an obvious weapon either, nor does Odd, Yumi, or Katja. Your father summoned his almost immediately after being virtualized. Ulrich's sword handles are visible, though they only become active when removed from their sheath box. Kokoro appears to have one large fan, while Franz has a bow and arrows. But as you can see, most of us do not have obvious weapons, Matthias, so there is nothing to worry about."

"It's just so much less cool," hissed Franz under his breath so that only those closest to him could hear.

Matthias glared at Franz as Katja stepped between the two. Her wings seemed to leave golden dust in the air as she walked. "Does that mean I'm uncool, Franz?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at the younger boy.

"Err, not necessarily," Franz stammered, unprepared for Katja's accusation.

"Franz, stop causing trouble and send me a visual." Aelita's voice appeared from seemingly nowhere, as did a pair of giggles. "Jeremie, can you please help him?"

"Oh, of course, Aelita," Jeremie replied hastily, catching Franz's gaze. "There's one more thing I need to tell everyone about Diitto. Because most of the base coding is borrowed from Lyoko, Franz, Waldo, and Aelita are the only ones able to send visuals back to the computer monitors. They are, as they share their mother's DNA, the only ones able to enter the code 'Diitto.'"

A feeling of uneasiness swept through Yumi. "Jeremie, why did you program something like that-" As she spoke, Yumi caught sight of something eerily familiar in the distance; a long cylindrical structure of an off-white hue surrounded by coils sticking out of the ground. _There were towers on Diitto._ She had expected it, of course, but at the same time it pierced her soul with a feeling of terror. _Xana had controlled the energy towers on Lyoko, and through them he had caused so much trouble . . ._

"It was necessary, Yumi," Aelita replied. She knew and sympathized with Yumi's concerns; over the years she had spent many long conversations addressing them.

Yumi sighed. "Okay, I understand." She felt Ulrich tighten his grip on her hand and he leaned over to whisper that everything would be just fine into her ear.

"Now, Franz, will you kindly send me a visual?" Aelita repeated.

"Err, how?" Franz asked, adopting a funny expression that seemed to reflect both confusion and self-importance. He then turned to his dad and repeated the question. "How do I do that?"

"Look around, and then envision sharing what you see with the supercomputer itself," Jeremie said. "Your mother will be able to tell you if you succeed. Afterwards we can continue."

"Great, we'll be here a while," Matthias scoffed.

Franz threw Matthias a disgusted look and then stepped away from the group, looking around the sector. Yumi took the opportunity to do the same. The sylvan region was strikingly similar to Lyoko's forest region, but the ground before them was solid. There was no sign of the digital sea, no drops that would send one plummeting into permanent virtualization. And the trees seemed to be more notably pine-like. The occasional bush or patch of oversized mushrooms dotted the landscape. Jeremie really had done beautiful work, though Yumi knew that Odd had outlined most of the original art for Diitto.

"Is it working yet?" Franz asked after a moment.

"Yes! It's working!" Aelita cried. "Look, Nancy, Waldo - that's the sylvan region!"

"Wow - and I'll be able to do that, too, when I go to Diitto?"

"Yes, Waldo."

"Double wow!"

"Aelita?" Jeremie said.

"I can hear you, Jeremie," Aelita said, shushing the two children that had been left behind in the bunker with her.

"I'll require a transport to sector eight, the core," Jeremie said. "I still need to run the program that will stabilize Diitto. Without this final program Diitto is, well, slightly vulnerable," Jeremie explained to those around him.

Once again, a feeling of nervousness, accompanied by a flash of anger. Yumi wanted to shout _"You allowed our children onto an unstable virtual world?" _and summon a fan to strike Jeremie with but bit back her words and kept her rough impulses at bay. She _did_ trust Jeremie and Aelita, and it was slightly painful to find herself continuously second-guessing their actions. Once again, Ulrich squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back, instantly calmed. Only Ulrich had that sort of effect on her.

"All right, Jeremie," Aelita replied. "You'll have to make your way to the center of the sector and stand on the platform. Will you make the trip alone, or will anyone else go with you?"

"Does Diitto's core look like Lyoko's?" Odd asked. "Boy, for some reason I miss that place. Would you mind if I went along? Would I have the opportunity to go back later?"

"You may come with me to the core, Odd," Jeremie said. "But you may not go back later. I don't want joy trips to the core. There is no need to search for information hidden deep within Diitto's system, thus there shouldn't be a need for any future trips unless I decide to make some upgrades in the future."

"In that case, may I come, too?" William asked. "I'll be good, I promise. Much more cooperative than I was the last time you brought me there. Then again, there won't be any monsters to tempt me, right?" he added, trying to be humorous. Yumi wasn't amused, her thoughts still occupied by how Jeremie had not yet secured Diitto. (If that was even what he needed to do in the core; she wouldn't put simplifying something to make things sound nicer than they were past him.)

Yumi turned to Ulrich and proceeded to whisper into his ear. "If I go with Jeremie to the core, will you keep an eye on the girls? I would like to be sure that the installation goes smoothly."

"Of course I'll keep an eye on them," he replied, sounding somewhat irked that Yumi was asking something so obvious of him. Yumi smiled sheepishly and then informed Jeremie of her decision.

"Can I come to the core, too?" Franz asked. "I could send back visuals."

"The core is exposed to the digital sea, Franz," Jeremie reminded the boy. "And nobody under the age of eighteen will be going to a sector where the digital sea is exposed until they are deemed responsible enough. Sorry, kiddo."

Franz looked disappointed, but Ulrich stepped forward, winking at Yumi as he moved away from her. "Don't worry, kids, we will have a lot more fun here than they will installing some program. Aelita will even send us some tame monsters to attack."

"Really?" Matthias asked, eyes widening with enthusiasm.

"Yes, really," Jeremie replied, chucking. "I've programmed some monsters that can shoot lasers that don't take away life points when they hit. Completely safe," he added, glancing in Yumi's direction. "Now, shall we go?"

"Yeah, let's go!" Odd said, full of just as much energy as always despite his age. "When we get back I should have a bit of time left over to get in some rounds with my good old laser arrows before I have to de-virtualize myself and go check on Valentina . . ."

"Don't worry, this won't take all day," Jeremie said. He patted Franz on the back before starting to walk, and William did the same with Matthias before following. Yumi hurried to Kokoro's side, hugged her, and then did the same to Katja before walking up to Ulrich. She gave him a quick peck on the lips before following the others, pleased to see the way his eyes softened at her touch. They really were soulmates.

It didn't take long to reach the center of the sector - Aelita had virtualized everyone close to the platform Jeremie had mentioned knowing that he would be traveling to the core. The platform was raised and predominately black. A large white circle had a six-pointed star trapped within, and within the star was a second white circle. Yumi could remember, ages ago, helping Jeremie to come up with Diitto's design. The six points of the star could represent either the original Lyoko warriors or their six children.

"We are ready, Aelita," Jeremie said once the four adults had gathered within the smaller of the two circles.

"Initiating transfer. Keyword: Lyoko."

Yumi barely had a chance to smile at the password that gave them access to the eighth sector. She was instantly engulfed within an intense green light, and when she was able to see clearly once more found that her surroundings had changed drastically. The room around her was spinning, though as the seconds ticked passed it began to slow. Old, once-forgotten memories flashed through the woman's mind.

"The core was the hardest to program," Jeremie explained. "In the end I ended up borrowing a lot of the skeletal coding from Lyoko. The randomized room we will enter from the sector eight entry point - our present location - will allow us three minutes to cross and get through an exit door on the other side. We then have three more minutes to get through a second room, and from there we reach the celestial dome. Today we need to fly into the room concealing the heart of Diitto from the celestial dome. There I'll install the final program."

"Hey, Einstein, what happens if we don't make it out of a room before the front door closes on us?" Odd asked as the room around them slowed to a stop and a door opened before the group.

"The back door will close on you, too," Jeremie clarified, beginning to run. "And if that happened we would be trapped. We would either have to de-virtualize ourselves or have Aelita bring us in."

"Oh, I see, no pressure," Odd said, grinning cheekily as the group stopped briefly to scan the room before them.

Mirroring the style of Lyoko's core, the room before them was an assortment of constantly adjusting floor panels. Yumi let her gaze sweep the large room before focusing on the small archway on the other side and beginning to sprint after the others. As she leapt from moving floor panel to moving floor panel a feeling of pure exhilaration overwhelmed her. Though she had been the one most adamant about shutting down the original supercomputer and the most skeptical about Jeremie's intensions to build a second, she privately admitted that she had missed being virtualized during the past two decades or so.

Yumi soon realized that maneuvering was much easier than she remembered, both because she and her group were not being slowed by any monsters and because Diitto, like Lyoko, granted one more endurance and flexibility than they had in real life. She followed Odd and William through the door, waited a moment for Jeremie, (who was doing better than she thought he would - being the father of two active boys had done him wonders) and then began to run across a long thin ledge. The drop on either side would be enough to de-virtualize anyone who fell.

"Almost there," Jeremie said, stopping just before the door that led to the celestial dome. Once everyone had gathered around him he began to walk through the door and down a narrow, enclosed passageway. Yumi hurried to follow.

"Aelita, we are about to enter the celestial dome," Jeremie said.

"All right, Jeremie," replied Aelita. "I'll call up the retro vehicles to take you into the core of Diitto. They will be waiting for you."

"Thank you, Aelita."

"Aelita-" Yumi said quickly. "How are the children doing?"

Aelita seemed to chuckle. "They are all naturals. Ulrich is already being outdone, even with all his experience."

"I'd expect nothing less of Matthias," William said, pride spilling out of his tone. Yumi bit back the urge to frown, instead choosing to smile while imagining how her girls and Ulrich were handling Jeremie's tame monsters.

She and the others stopped on a ledge that overlooked part of the celestial dome. Yumi was barely allowed time to look around. The sight of a red laser flying toward her triggered a long-dormant instinct - she summoned her twin fans and used them to absorb the laser. Odd had been forced to raise his shield as a second laser nearly hit him.

"What is going on-?" Yumi cried.

A swarm of manta, the signature monster of Lyoko's core, was circling overhead. They fired a dozen more lasers, and William, Yumi, and Odd did their best to defend (one laser managed to hit Odd's leg) while the green orb encircling Jeremie became opaque with each successful hit. It seemed to be an automatic shield.

"Aelita, we are being attacked!" William called. "Why are we being attacked, Jeremie?"

"I - I don't know," Jeremie said, alarm penetrating his face. "There aren't supposed to be any monsters here. Aelita-" he said, bringing his wife into the conversation. "-you didn't happen to . . . ?"

"No, Jeremie, and I can't de-virtualize them either," Aelita replied. She sounded panicked. "I don't have any control over them. Will you be able to hold off until I can bring you in?"

"It would be my pleasure," Odd said, running forward and leaping atop a long, purple and pink board that had been left hovering at the edge of the platform. He swerved initially and then managed to orient himself as he flew straight into the swarm of mantas above them. "Laser arrow!"

"Is this Xana?" William asked, turning to Yumi and Jeremie. Jeremie's face continued betrayed his alarm. Yumi stiffened at the sight. If Jeremie, the person who had spent the past twenty years working to create Diitto, didn't know what was happening, then something was seriously wrong.

"We destroyed Xana years ago," Yumi said, mostly to assure herself of the fact. "But - _ahh_!" A laser hit Yumi squarely in the back. She spun in place and threw one of her fans into the air, though it narrowly missed the manta that had attacked her. A moment later Odd hit the creature from behind, and it turned in pursuit of him instead.

"The supercomputer has never been exposed to outside influences before today - I don't understand how this is happening. How is Xana still alive? How did Xana get in . . . ?" Jeremie muttered.

"Then this _is_ Xana," William clarified, turning to leer at the mantas above him. "In that case . . . I have some unfinished business to attend to." William sprinted across the platform towards the closest vehicle, a brown motorcycle with a single wheel, and sent himself spinning through the air, sword held out at his side.

"Jeremie, I can't de-virtualize you," came Aelita's panicked voice. "Or Yumi, Odd, and William. I - I don't know what's wrong."

"I don't either, Aelita," Jeremie said. He turned to look at Yumi, his expression grim. "I'm sorry," he said. "I really was sure that Diitto was safe. I had no idea that a part of Xana had survived. It's possible that when I borrowed some coding from Lyoko I might have re-created him - look out!"

Yumi managed to deflect a laser right before she was hit. She turned back to Jeremie, at a loss for words. It wasn't his fault that they were being attacked, but a sudden feeling of hostility toward her old friend exploded within her.

"Aelita, can you de-virtualize the others in the sylvan region?" she asked, taking up a defensive stance as a shower of lasers fell upon her.

"I just brought back Katja a moment ago. She lost some life points after Matthias accidentally hit her with her with his sword, so I claimed that I wanted to run a test so as not to alarm those in the other sector. Matthias has a sword just like his father's, by the way."

"Really now?" came William's voice as he sped past the platform in the direction of a lone manta. "That's terrific! I can't wait to see him with it!"

"In other words, it's just us who cannot be de-virtualized," Jeremie said through gritted teeth. As a manta approached, he raised an arm and a small opaque green orb separated from his shield and struck the monster. It shattered into a thousand pieces that soon disappeared from sight.

"What if we de-virtualize ourselves?" Yumi asked, desperate for ideas. A feeling of fear like nothing she had ever experienced before was driving her heart through her chest. If anything happened to her, if she was unable to be with Ulrich and raise her girls . . .

Jeremie shot another green energy field toward a manta that strayed too close. "That might work for you and the others, but I cannot be hit. This was the only time I ever intended to go to Diitto, so I made it so that I could not be touched. My sole purpose for being here right now is to install the final program."

Yumi's eyes darted toward the final vehicle, modeled after her old overwing, before meeting Jeremie's once more. "In that case, let's go install the program. It's something to do with security, right? Do you think it will expel Xana - or whoever is responsible for these mantas?"

"It's Xana, Yumi - there's no doubt about it!" Odd called as he flew past. A manta sped after him, giving the two people left on the platform a clear view of the mark on it's back: The mark of Lyoko, of Xana. Slowing, Odd then hovered beside in the air before shooting the manta down with a laser arrow. He turned to Jeremie.

"Well, are we going to get that program installed or what?"

"Might as well," Jeremie muttered. His words were lifeless, shocking Yumi, though her present environment was not a place where she could ponder her emerging thoughts. Her focus had to center around installing Jeremie's program for the time being. Afterwards she would worry about Xana, the mantas, and the fact that she seemed to be stuck in sector eight.

Yumi tugged Jeremie onto the retrowing and then began to fly through the empty space between the core and the celestial dome. If Diitto really was modeled just like Lyoko, then she needed to fly into the heart's chamber from below. She angled her vehicle downward.

William and Odd pulled up on either side of her, Odd continuing to fire laser arrows at the tangle of mantas swarming the area. William, unable to attack from a distance, took to deflecting any lasers aimed at him, Yumi, or Jeremie.

"There are so many of them!" William groaned, revving the retrobike's engine as he sped toward a manta to slice it through the belly. It shattered and vanished upon impact.

"I don't think they'll follow us through the entrance," Jeremie said, sounding distant as he spoke. Yumi noted that he seemed to be listless, and that he had stopped shooting at the approaching mantas with his energy fields. It was almost as if he was somehow losing energy . . .

"Aelita, can you make sure the entrance is closed after we pass through?" Yumi asked. She threw a fan at a passing manta, destroying it upon impact.

"I'm sorry, Yumi, but I can't do that," Aelita said.

"Mom?"

Yumi's heart clenched as Katja seemed to grab ahold of one of the microphones. Her daughter's voice was laced with panic. "Katja?"

"Mom, be careful!" Katja cried.

"You too, Daddy," came a younger feminine voice. Nancy. She was speaking to William.

As Yumi neared the entrance to the heart of Diitto, she half expected Waldo to say something to Jeremie over the microphone, but Nancy's words were followed by silence. Yumi knew that there were two microphones in the computer room, two sensitive microphones that would pick up anything above a whisper, and a part of her wondered why the children in the bunker with Aelita were being so quiet when they surely knew exactly what was going on. Then again, she could understand how watching their parents be attacked by monsters summoned by the force that had been their worst nightmare might terrify them beyond words . . .

"Here we go," Yumi said, tightening her grip on the handle of the retrowing and speeding into the heart's chamber. She entered the great room at the same time as Odd. William arrived a second afterwards. Landing her vehicle, Yumi jumped off and reached for the fans she had stored in her obi while flying, anticipating an attack.

"I need to get into the heart of Diitto," Jeremie said, beginning to run up the winding flight of stairs before him. Yumi briefly met Odd's gaze, then William's, before following. So far, none of the mantas had followed them through the entrance, but that did not mean that they were safe yet.

The dash to the top of the room was, thankfully, uneventful. After reaching the highest stair, Jeremie paused, waited for the others to catch up with him, and then walked across a long, narrow platform to the edge of the virtual world's heart. Like the heart of Lyoko, the heart of Diitto was a glowing white orb protected by two rotating, clear cubes. Once he had reached the heart, Jeremie paused, glancing back at the others.

"I have to go inside now. I'll be back soon."

"Okay, Jeremie," William said.

"Good luck," Yumi murmured softly.

"Einstein, you're the best there is in the world of digital worlds!" Odd mused. "I'm sure in about a minute you'll be walking back out here bragging about how easy everything was to fix!"

Nobody laughed at Odd's remark. Jeremie managed a half-hearted smile before walking into the heart of Diitto and fading from sight. Yumi stood stiffly, waiting, worrying, as the length of time Jeremie was gone for increased. She closed her eyes, imagining the faces of those she loved most. Katja, Kokoro, Ulrich . . . _would she ever see them again? Was Xana the reason that she and the others were unable to de-virtualize? Was it worth risking a forced de-virtualization to try and return home?_

Jeremie returned after what seemed like ages, his expression grimmer than it had been before. "I am locked out of the system," he said softly, sounding as if his very spirit had broken. "It seems that all of us have been severed somehow from the computer's mainframe. I can't access the heart, none of us can be de-virtualized, and you wouldn't arrive in the scanners if you struck one another . . ."

"What does that mean?" Yumi asked.

Jeremie shrugged. "I don't know. I can't do anything from here. I . . . I had no idea that Xana had been embedded into the skeletal programming of Lyoko, that using it would recreate him in Diitto . . ."

"You had no way of knowing such a thing," William said.

"Still, I recreated Xana . . ." muttered Jeremie.

"No, Jeremie, I don't think you did." Aelita, it seemed, was still attuned to the words of those stuck in sector eight. "Anyway, I've been going over the data from the transfers onto Diitto and into the core along with the skeletal code of Diitto," she continued. "And there was a bug when you all were sent to sector eight. When you arrived you were indeed separated from the computer's mainframe somehow . . . I don't know how to fix it yet but I'm working on it."

A strange fluttering feeling caused Yumi's chest to tighten. There was hope. "How long do you think that will take?"

Aelita did not respond. Yumi bit her lip, looking at each of the three men before her in turn. Jeremie put his hand on his forehead and rubbed his temples. "It would take hours . . ." he said finally. "Days, probably."

"Days? We don't have Days!" William cried, throwing his sword over his shoulder. He seemed to stiffen, the expression on his face hardening. "Xana is not going to take any more time from me!" Without warning, William began to charge down the stairs toward the abandoned vehicles on the room's lowest level.

"William, come back!" Yumi called. "Don't be hasty - it's safe here! You don't want to do anything risky!"

Though he did not do so abruptly, William stopped. From halfway down the winding stairs, he glanced up at the others. "Fine, Yumi, whatever you say," he said, his voice cold.

"There is still something that you might want to know," Aelita said.

"What?" Odd asked. His tone was unusually bland.

"Jeremie did not recreate Xana. I don't know how, but he somehow survived. My search shows that he entered the supercomputer the moment it was activated. He then activated a tower in the ocean region, and with the energy it provided was able to bug up your transfer to the core and prevent your re-materialization."

The tiniest trace of a smile formed on Jeremie's face. Somehow, the sight cheered Yumi, giving her a false sense of happiness for a moment. Then, her vision began to blur, and a sense of pain began to engulf her as she crippled over.

"Aelita, what's happening?" Yumi cried.

Beside her, Odd dropped to the ground as well, cringing in pain. "Princess, our feet are vanishing!"

Eyes widening in shock, Yumi watched as the tip of Odd's tail and his feet began to slowly shatter into dozens of black panels. She looked at her own feet, and found that her heels had vanished, and that the black panels were working their way up her legs . . .

"I don't know what's happening to you!" Aelita cried. "I - I can't stop-"

"Mom!"

"Daddy!"

Aelita's words were drowned out by Katja's and Nancy's frantic cries. Immobilized by pain, Yumi closed her eyes and pictured Ulrich's face. _She couldn't leave him . . ._

"Crap - Valentina!" Odd choked. "Valentina . . . oh no, this can't happen . . ." he trailed as he, like Yumi, lost the ability to move any part of his body.

"Mom, my computer says that they're being absorbed into a foreign object that doesn't belong in the supercomputer - all but Dad, though his shield is giving away."

_Waldo_. Of course - the reason he had been so silent before was because he had been working on the second computer interface! Yumi knew that he could be incredibly serious while working . . .

"Foreign object?"

Yumi could tell that her torso was now nothing more than a dozen black panels. _It was becoming hard to think, to register what was going on around her . . . to remember Ulrich's face . . ._

"Aelita . . ."

_Jeremie was speaking._

"I am going to try something. It should save us - to an extent . . ."

_There . . . there was hope?_

The pain vanished.


	7. Part 1, Section 5: Franz

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part One: **

**Diitto's Inception

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** For those of you who care about my random musings, it's quite annoying to place horizontal rulers where you want them. Also, Fanfiction has taken to turning my '-' lines that are three '-'s into single '-' lines. I don't know what's up with that, either. On that note, here's the last section of Part 1.

**

* * *

Franz (Section 1.5)**

As his father, Yumi, William, and Odd made their way from the small clearing that everyone had been virtualized in, Franz tightened his grip on his bow. He glanced at Ulrich, not bothering to contain the excitement on his face. "Can we get some monsters to attack now?"

"Why are you asking me?" Ulrich queried, glancing skyward. The sky in Diitto's sylvan region was a light bluish-green. "Princess, the kids want monsters."

"Five monsters coming up. Kids, meet the kankrelats," Aelita said.

Franz watched as a line of five small monsters materialized before them. They reminded him of cockroaches, and had rather large heads and tiny feet. The monsters had what Franz recognized as the mark of Diitto on their backs, and after falling to the ground the line of them remained perfectly still.

"Ulrich, they're all yours. Show the kids how it's done," Aelita said.

"It would be my pleasure," Ulrich said. Franz watched as he reached for one of the sword handles sticking out from the device on his back. "Supersprint!" he said, at the same moment running at an astonishing speed toward one of the kankrelats. As he passed the creature, Ulrich sliced it with his long, thin sword, leaving a white mark behind. The monster wobbled and then exploded, pieces vanishing a moment later.

"That was awesome! Can I try now?" Matthias asked, stepping forward.

Franz snorted. "You still don't have a weapon," he reminded the other boy.

Matthias shot Franz an icy glare and, without waiting for Ulrich's permission, charged a kankrelat. While running he held out his right arm, and a large blue and black sword materialized, encompassing his hand and the lower part of his arm. For a moment, Matthias crumbled under the unexpected weight of the sword, which seemed to be nearly his height, but he quickly regained himself as he gripped the sword with both hands. Nearing the kankrelat, he spun violently around and sliced it clean in two, destroying it instantly.

"Amazing! Good job, Matthias," Ulrich said, taking on the roll of the encouraging teacher. His gaze rested on Katja. "You also materialized without a weapon, so why don't you go next and do your best to call something to your aid."

"Uh . . . okay," Katja responded, stepping forward. For a moment she remained still, eyes fixed upon the next frozen kankrelat. Then, she began to raise her arms, crossing them at her wrists as she did so, until she reached the tips of her wings. Franz watched as Katja gripped, as the points of her wings hardened into black handles, and as she materialized two small j-curved swords from her wings.

"Blur," Katja whispered. Franz seemed to blink, and the kankrelat Katja had been facing was destroyed. Scattered pieces disappeared a minute later.

"She was faster than you, Dad," Kokoro observed, smirking.

"I noticed; good job, Katja!" Ulrich said as his daughter took a seat on the same log Matthias had been standing by, turning to Franz and Kokoro. "So, which of you wants to go-"

"How come she was able to say something to make herself move faster?" Matthias asked, interrupting. He stood and narrowed his eyes at Ulrich, who was standing between the two pairs of kids.

"Certain people can activate certain dormant self-created programs in the supercomputer," Ulrich explained hastily, once again looking back at Franz and Kokoro. "Now-"

"Hold on, lemme try and activate one of those programs-" Matthias said, lifting his large sword into the air. He paused, as if thinking, and then shouted "Electric snake" before slicing clean through the log he had been previously seated on.

In the second that followed, Franz watched as a current of blue electricity resembling a snake moved from Matthias's instantly charged sword down both sides of the log. Katja was stuck by the traveling blast, and her body convulsed and gave off a strange sort of spark as the electricity from Matthias's sword faded away.

"Matthias!" Ulrich called, disbelief and anger fusing into his tone. "You just took some of Katja's life points in your recklessness! If you won't behave, I'll have Aelita send you back right now!"

"But I didn't even de-virtualize her," Matthias whined, waving his free arm dramatically in Katja's direction to make a point. "And I doubt it even hurt. Doesn't the life point system ensure that we don't actually get hurt?"

"It hurt . . . somewhat," Katja grumbled, leering at Matthias as she began to walk back across the clearing.

"See?" Matthias said.

"That doesn't make a difference - any more fooling around and you'll be send back," Ulrich said. "Right, Princess?"

Aelita did not respond. A few moments later Ulrich shrugged and muttered that she was probably speaking to those on sector eight and then, yet again, turned to Franz and Kokoro. Franz began to itch with anticipation, realizing he was mere seconds away from shooting down his first monster.

"Can I go first?" he asked, turning to Kokoro and hoping that she could see how eager he was to do so in his eyes.

Kokoro shrugged, and Franz stepped forward, glancing at Ulrich to confirm that it was okay for him to destroy the next monster. Franz didn't charge at the kankrelat, knowing that his weapon allowed him to attack from a distance, and instead fished an arrow from his quiver. He prepped the arrow, pulling it back along the bow.

"Target."

Though nothing clouded his vision, Franz felt as if a marker had been glued to the head of the kankrelat across the field. He began to loosen his grip on the arrow.

"Locked."

The arrow flew from Franz's bow.

"Release."

He watched as its point penetrated the eye of the kankrelat, causing it to explode. A grin spread across Franz's face, and he couldn't help pumping the air with his fist. "Yeah, a strike!"

"Good job, Franz," Ulrich said. "Now-"

"Katja-" Aelita's voice seemed to ring through the air around those in the clearing. "-I'm going to bring you in now."

"But, why?" asked Katja, sounding shocked.

"You only have sixty life points left, and I want to test something. I'll explain later."

"But-"

Franz watched as Katja began to break into a thousand white panels before his eyes. Within moments she was gone, and he turned to try and read Ulrich's expression. Bewilderment plagued the man. A slight feeling of worry began to creep into Franz's chest.

"I'm going to go now," Kokoro said, breaking the silence. She reached for her large fan with her right hand and then balanced it at her side. Awkwardly, she tried to open it, then immediately closed it again as if deciding against the action. For a moment Kokoro stayed perfectly still, as if wondering what to do next, before propping her fan over her shoulders and putting her hands on the closed ends. Slowly, she approached the last kankrelat, stopping before reaching the midway point of the clearing. Almost immediately afterwards she dropped one end of her fan, and as it fell from her shoulder it smoothly opened to reveal a large red and black dragon flying over a silver mountain.

Spinning around, Kokoro caught the fan so that she faced the same direction as the picture. She then continued in her circle, throwing the fan through the air. It sliced the tiny kankrelat into two pieces before boomeranging back to its owner. Kokoro closed it again as it passed with her hands, executing the complicated-looking maneuver by spinning in another circle.

"That seemed like overkill," Franz observed, hoping to make Kokoro smile with his comment. She wore a stiff expression on her face as she turned back to him and her father.

"Good job, Kokoro," Ulrich said. "Now, let's see how you three fare against moving targets. Princess, moving targets, please?"

Again, there was no response. Franz's slight feeling of worry began to intensify. His mother wasn't one to walk away from a computer monitor when focusing on something - what had captured her attention to keep her from responding?

"Princess?" Ulrich repeated, looking around. "Are you there . . . ?"

"Something bad is happening," Waldo replied, his voice echoing throughout the sector. "Err - you might just want to stand still until we figure things out. My mom and I are both on computers now."

Franz and the others all exchanged looks ranging from mild confusion to pure terror. They gathered in the center of the clearing, silently inspecting their surroundings. Franz could feel a sense of urgency plague him – urgency mingled with impatience. _Something bad was happening and there was no way for him to learn what!_

Without warning, the sylvan region was engulfed in white light. When Franz's vision returned he saw that the sector had turned green. It was as if someone had put a colored film over his eyes. Before he (or anyone else) could speak, the green began to fade away while the sector seemed to darken as if the world around them was shifting from day to night.

"What the hell is going on?" Kokoro asked, predictably voicing her thoughts in a blunt, crude way. She turned to peer into the forest. "What are those?"

Franz trailed her gaze just in time to see three streaks of white light flying toward them. He tensed, unable to move as he watched the streaks of light circle the clearing. Then, before Franz could do anything to stop them, two of the streaks of light struck Kokoro and Matthias. Both buckled onto their knees; Matthias's eyes widened in shock as Kokoro crossed her arms over her heart and pinched her eyes shut. For a moment the pair of them glowed white, then the light faded as quickly as it had come.

The third ball trail of light, however, continued to float around the clearing. Franz tightened his grip on his bow, though something deep within told him not to try and shoot the entity down. A moment later the entity sped away, heading in the direction of a large, off-white tower in the distance.

Silence followed the white light's departure, finally broken as Ulrich called "Aelita!"

Mrs. Belpois responded, though not quickly, and when she spoke she sounded borderline hysterical. "There's no time to waste. Kokoro, Matthias, Franz, Ulrich – you all need to go to the ocean sector as soon as you can. Xana . . . Xana is back."

"_What_?" Ulrich gasped. Franz had never seen his 'uncle' so angry. "That's impossible, Aelita. We defeated Xana years ago! The multi-agent program destroyed him!"

"No, Ulrich, it didn't . . ." Aelita replied. Franz could tell that his mother was choking back tears. "And when the others were sent to the core they were bugged up. Xana activated a tower to somehow separate them from the mainframe, so I was unable to re-materialize them. Then they . . . Xana . . ."

"They _what_?" Ulrich asked, shouting now. He no longer seemed to be aware of the three children surrounding him, of how Matthias and Kokoro were now eyeing one another in awe. Franz, also, was beginning to jump ahead of the conversation between his mother and his uncle . . .

"They appear to have been de-virtualized . . . but they did not return to Earth because they were separated from the mainframe of . . ."

"Yumi! Where is Yumi?" Ulrich asked franticly.

"Her body is . . . for the moment . . . gone. Xana forced them to de-virtualize somehow, knowing that they had no way of returning to Earth . . ." Ulrich was silent, pain etching across his face as Aelita continued. "But . . . before Yumi and the others had been completely de-virtualized . . . Jeremie executed the Preservation . . ."

Franz felt himself sink to his knees as his mother paused. "He managed to separate Yumi's digital essence from her body, along with Odd's and William's, to save them. And he . . . he did the same thing my father did when he brought me to Lyoko so long ago . . ." Aelita was speaking in between sobs now. Franz learned that it was impossible to cry while on Diitto. "He did the same thing . . . knowing that there was no other way that he would be able to fight Xana . . ."

"Did . . . did our parents come back to the sylvan region?" Franz was somewhat alarmed to hear Matthias speak. "Their digital essences, I mean. There were lights . . . and two entered me and Kokoro while one went for a tower . . ."

"You and Kokoro were fused with lights . . . ?" Aelita seemed surprised by the news, stopping her tears as she spoke. "I didn't see anything . . . but . . . yes . . . it must have been . . ."

Ulrich turned to look at his daughter. "Yumi is inside Kokoro, then?" he asked.

"I think so," Aelita said as Kokoro nodded and answered, "Yes."

"Then my dad went into me," Matthias concluded. He glanced in the direction of the tower visible in the distance. "So, does that mean that Odd is the one that went away? Why didn't he jump into Franz or Ulrich?"

"Why didn't my dad jump into me?" Franz asked.

"Your father is being preserved in a different way, Franz," Aelita responded. "And Odd . . . Odd probably couldn't enter Franz or Ulrich because he isn't related to either of them by blood. It could be that Yumi and William entered their children because they share some of the same DNA and thus are compatible . . ."

"So, Aelita-" Ulrich began.

"You guys are asking way too many questions."

Franz was startled to hear the tone of his younger brother's voice: strict and serious. Why wasn't he in tears? Had Franz been on Earth he was sure he would be crying. In addition to his mother's sobs he could hear Katja and Nancy tearing up in the background. What was wrong with Waldo?

"Did you guys forget that Mom said that Xana activated a tower in the ocean sector? You need to deactivate it immediately. We can figure out what happened to our parents later - right now Xana is drawing energy from Diitto."

"Right, the tower," Franz grumbled, feeling as if his head would explode as he struggled to mentally order his priorities. "And we deactivate it how . . . ?"

"No, Mom, you work on locating Xana - I'll be able to guide them."

Franz had a feeling that Waldo hadn't meant to say his last phrase into the microphone, but waited patiently as his brother seemed to regain himself. "You have to deactivate the tower, Franz," he began. "And you get to the ocean region via a waytower."

"Where's the closest waytower, Waldo?" Ulrich asked, seeming to have recovered enough to speak in a normal tone again.

"It's south of your position."

Immediately, Ulrich began to run. Franz felt himself hesitate for a moment before following, doing his best to catch up to Kokoro and Matthias. As they started to cross the sylvan sector, Ulrich glanced back at them.

"Kokoro, Matthias, be prepared to defend Franz by taking his hits for him. If he's de-virtualized then we won't be able to deactivate the tower."

A brief feeling of confusion overcame Franz at Ulrich's words. _He_ had to deactivate the tower? Of course he did . . . he shared his mother's DNA, and thus was the only one of the four of them remaining that would be able to enter the regular towers . . .

Soon a tower came into sight, and Franz cringed as he watched Ulrich run straight into it. But, instead of crashing, his uncle seemed to melt into the tower, pulsations pushing outward from his point of impact. Kokoro followed her father into the tower without a second thought, while Matthias hesitated at its base before doing the same. Finally, Franz stepped forward, closing his eyes and putting any hint of doubt of fear out of his mind. There was no room for such feelings right now.

The inside of the tower was a bizarre mixture of white panels that seemed to flash bits of coding suspended over a dark blue background. The floor beneath Franz's feet was solid, black with white lines etching out the mark of Diitto. He looked around and watched as Ulrich paced the room, seemingly confused.

"Aelita, how do we switch sectors? Before we jumped off the edge of the tower and, well, there's no edge . . ."

"My mom is doing something on the other computer; you have to talk to me," came the response. Waldo continued after a moment. "There are six points in the star, right? If you stand next to each of them and look to your feet you can see a glimpse of another sector. When you find the point that leads to the ocean sector then go through it. The points look solid, but you'll go through the floor if you want to change sectors."

"And if we don't want to change sectors?" Franz asked.

"Face meets floor," Matthias sneered, already beginning to move around the room peering into the points of the star embedded within the mark of Diitto.

"This one!" Ulrich said a moment later, standing inside the smaller circle and looking into one of the points of the star. Without another word he held out his arms and began to fall forward. Franz watched as he seemed to melt into the floor, and as pulsations revealed his place of departure. Hastily, he lined up after Kokoro and Matthias and watched as they also fell into the floor. When it was his turn, Franz held out his arms, closed his eyes, and leaned forward . . .

The sensation of falling on Diitto was the same as on Earth, though Franz felt oddly calm as he seemed to drop through the air – similar to how strangely relaxed he had felt upon realizing that he was no longer breathing while on Diitto. Slitting his eyes, he saw dozens of white panels fly past him until he finally felt a tickling sensation. Before he knew it, he was standing in a tower identical to the one he had just left. Ulrich, Kokoro, and Matthias were standing at three of the other points of the star in the mark of Diitto.

"We should hurry; there's no telling what Xana will do with the energy from the tower," Ulrich said. The three children nodded their understanding, and Franz, eager to move, started for the wall of the tower, but Ulrich shot him a warning look.

"The ocean sector, unlike the sylvan sector, has places where the digital sea is visible," Ulrich explained grimly. "You must be very careful. If you fall off the edge of the sector then . . ."

"We die," Kokoro said. "Dad, we understand. Remember that I'm older than you were when you first went to Lyoko. We'll be fine."

Ulrich seemed to bite his lip, as if debating whether or not he wanted to allow the children out of the tower, before remembering that he had no choice in the matter. "Okay, let's go," he said, leading the way.

The ocean sector was a striking change from the sylvan region. Everything was tinted blue, but there was still a dark overcast reminding Franz of night. Even the ground beneath Franz's feet was bright turquoise. Most of the decorative vegetation, mainly chunks of seaweed suspended in the air, gave the illusion that it was floating in an ocean. Great lumps of colorful coral dotted the pathways - perhaps the most striking change from the sylvan region. A maze of pathways spread as far as Franz could see, all converging at various little clearings. Franz took a few tentative steps toward the edge of the clearing with the waytower, and saw that, maybe one hundred feet below him, was an endless expanse of sparkling blue water. Then again, Franz believed its surface to look a bit more metallic than liquid . . .

While looking down, Franz caught sight of his gloves. What had previously been green was now blue. His tunic and pants had also changed color, reminding him of a chameleon.

"Franz, let's go!" Matthias called. "Admire your lame fashion sense later!"

Shooting the other boy a loathing glare, Franz began to race after him, Kokoro, and Ulrich along one of the pathways. Waldo reported that the activated tower wasn't far, but that it was guarded . . .

"Mantas," Ulrich said, stopping as he looked around. Six large white and blue monsters that very much resembled their namesake were speeding in their direction. "Terrific . . . Franz is the only one equipped to shooting things from afar . . ."

"My fan can hit things from afar!" Kokoro said quickly.

"Yes, but you can't have learned how to throw it accurately at moving targets yet . . ."

"Do I need that? Didn't you, Mom, and the others often have times when one person would split away from the group just to cause a distraction while others got Aelita to the activated tower. Let's do that now." Kokoro turned to Matthias and Franz. "Run ahead, I'll hold them off kamikaze-style!"

"Kokoro-" Ulrich began.

"Dad, go; I'm just as much of a Lyoko warrior as you are now."

"Diitto, Sis. You are a _Diitto_ warrior. We all are now."

Kokoro cocked her head slightly, smiling as Katja's voice filled the sector. "Oops, my mistake. This place is called Diitto, isn't it?" She glanced at the others again. "Get going!"

Nodding his understanding, Franz began to careen down the pathway, not waiting for Matthias and Ulrich to follow. The mantas showed signs of slowing as he passed beneath them, and for a moment Franz was worried that they would chase him rather than go after Kokoro, but then he heard her taunts.

"Oi, flying sushi, do me a favor and stand still so I can make you bite-sized!"

Though he didn't have a chance to look, Franz heard the whoosh of Kokoro's fan and two explosions. She seemed to have hit two of Xana's monsters. Enraged, the remaining mantas seemed to speed in her direction, intending to take out what they deemed the biggest threat.

"Make a left up ahead, Franz. The activated tower will be at the end of the pathway."

"Got it," Franz said, urging himself to move faster. He turned where Waldo instructed him to and found himself at the end of a long, winding pathway that seemed dangerously narrow - and Franz didn't usually acknowledge dangerous things.

Ulrich appeared at his side, having managed to catch up to Franz with his superior Diitto speed. "I'm going ahead - there will be monsters guarding the tower, and I'll do my best to clear them. When you get to the clearing, regardless of how many monsters there are, head straight for the tower! Understand?"

"I understand," Franz said.

"Good. Supersprint!"

Ulrich sped past Franz and began to make his way down the pathway. Franz trailed him and glanced over his shoulder. Matthias was a good ten feet behind him, and behind Matthias . . .

"Look out!" Franz shouted.

Matthias was struck square in the back by a laser from the manta floating above him. One hadn't gone after Kokoro, instead choosing to follow the three boys. The manta fired at Matthias a second time, but he was able to use his great sword to deflect the attack.

Wasting no time, Franz picked up an arrow. "Target," he said, fixing his gaze on the manta and holding out his bow. He pointed the tip of his arrow at the manta. "Locked. Release!" His arrow flew through the air. "Strike." Franz watched as his arrow dug into the manta, and as the creature exploded on impact.

Matthias covered his head against the shower of manta parts that littered the area around him, finally meeting Franz's gaze after they vanished from sight. For a moment he looked annoyed, as if he wanted to tell Franz that he hadn't needed his help, but then the look faded as he propped his sword over his shoulder and stood tall again. The look in his eyes told Franz to turn and head for the tower.

Franz turned and began to run again. The tower grew closer with every step he took, and before he knew it he was at the edge of its clearing. Ulrich was nowhere to be seen, but a large red creature that Franz immediately knew to be a krabbe was standing between him and the tower.

"Ulrich was just de-virtualized, as was Kokoro. The manta that took her out is on its way," Waldo informed the two boys that remained on Diitto. "Hurry, Franz!"

Franz took a step forward, but Matthias blocked him with his sword. "Careful, you can't be de-virtualized. Lemme at it, and only go when it's dead or distracted."

Though Franz wanted to argue that he was perfectly capable of crossing a clearing on his own, he stood his ground as Matthias charged the krabbe. It shot at him, though he blocked the laser with his sword. Finally, he came within striking distance, lunging at the monster-

Something red struck Franz's arm, stinging, though not painfully. He glanced over his shoulder, saw the manta Waldo had referred to, and then began to run. The manta continued to shoot at him, though it appeared to have a hard time hitting moving targets - lasers littered the area around Franz.

Meanwhile, Matthias managed to slice the krabbe. A white mark appeared on its shell but it did not de-virtualize. It shot at Matthias and he took the hit, unprepared for the sudden attack. Groaning with anger, Matthias swung his sword at the krabbe again.

Franz had to look away, though he heard the krabbe explode. The manta was making it very difficult to reach the tower - running in a straight line was particularly annoying when being fired at. Franz passed Matthias, who moved to stand defensively between him and the manta. With one shot it de-virtualized him. Panicked, Franz plunged into the activated tower.

The interior resembled that of the first two towers that Franz had seen. He stepped tentatively forward, bow held limply in his left hand, recalling his mother's tales of tower deactivation as he stopped before he reached the interior of the smaller circle in the mark of Diitto. The mark glowed, and Franz felt himself begin to rise through the air. He floated up to a second level, a solid black surface unmarked by white lines, and then moved to stand in the center of the platform.

A white screen appeared before Franz. Time seemed to freeze as he stared at it, both unsure of what to do next and knowing full well what he needed to do. Gingerly, Franz reached for the screen, placing his right hand against it. The screen beeped, and the boy pulled his hand away. Then, words began to appear.

FRANZ

CODE: DIITTO.

"Tower deactivated," he said softly to himself as he watched the white panels on the wall around him wipe themselves clean and fall to the first level of the tower.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'll update again sometime next week. That should give me ample time to complete Part 2, edit, and then start Part 3. Until then, I hope Part 1 has lived up to your Fanfiction expectations. I'd love if you dropped a review to say what you thought of the plot this far. ~_Lav_


	8. Frantic Scurrying

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Two: **

**Frantic Scurrying

* * *

**

**Author's Note: **Before I begin I'd like to give a great, big thank you to all of my wonderful readers. I'm glad that so many of you seem to like my story. Each and every one of your reviews makes me smile and gives me the motivation to keep writing. Though I do have Part 2 complete (even if the last sections are not edited to my satisfaction) I think I'm going to update every other day until I get all five sections of this part on Fanfiction. The reason for this is so that I'll a) have more time to write Part 3 and b) have more time to study for finals, which are slowly creeping up on me.

Anyway, please enjoy! This is the section where the languages my characters speak begin to switch around. If I confuse you, then please let me know so I can try and make the presently spoken language clearer in the future.

**

* * *

Katja (Section 2.1)**

The lounge in the Diitto bunker was silent. Katja had somehow managed to stop crying almost an hour ago, but the feeling of loss that had settled into her chest was still overwhelming. She had just lost her mother in the supercomputer. Somehow Xana, whom her parents and the other Lyoko warriors had thought defeated years ago, had been waiting to spring a trap the first time people were sent to Diitto. His trap had worked, and now her mother, William Dunbar, Jeremie Belpois, and Odd Della Robbia were virtualized for good.

"We can bring them back," Aelita said once again, sitting on the floor hunched over the coffee table. "What Jeremie did preserved their digital essences, simply put, so they are not gone forever . . ."

"But won't that take months?" Matthias asked. "What do we do until then? People don't usually disappear for months. My dad is supposed to move us into Kadic tomorrow! He has a job back home!"

"We can move you into Kadic," Aelita said, directing her words toward Nancy and Matthias. "But as for your father's job . . ."

"Jeremie used to be able to change his voice over the phone. We'll have to make do with that," Ulrich said. Katja could see that her father was, like her, still fighting his sorrow, but he was managing to hold himself together for the sake of those still around him.

"What will you do - say he got tuberculosis or something?" Matthias asked.

"I'll figure something out . . ." Ulrich grumbled.

Suddenly, Kokoro jerked in place, swinging herself to a sitting position on the couch that she, her sister, and Ulrich presently occupied. Her head had, formerly, been resting on Katja's lap. "Valentina!" she squeaked in alarm.

"Who?" Waldo asked.

"Odd's niece. Dad-" Kokoro began, turning to face her father. "-didn't Odd tell you that he left her in his hotel room. What do we do about her?"

Ulrich's expression mirrored his scattered thoughts. "I guess we have to move her into Kadic, too," he said simply after a moment.

"Should we tell her about the supercomputer?" Franz asked.

Aelita said, "Yes" at the same time Ulrich answered "No." The two adults turned to look at one another, and the pink-haired woman hurried to speak before the dark-haired man.

"We have no choice, Ulrich."

"I don't think we should tell someone we don't know about the supercomputer . . ."

"We have no choice. For Odd's sake, we need to tell his niece about the supercomputer. If we don't then he might be lost before we can bring him home."

Ulrich blinked, his expression stiffening in his confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Yumi took refuge in Kokoro after being separated from her body while William took refuge in Matthias. Odd vanished in the vicinity of the nearest tower. I don't know how long he can stay in the form he is in now, or whether he'd be safe for a long period of time. But, I think if we bring Valentina to Diitto he would be able to take refuge inside her. It's the only way to guarantee that Odd will survive long enough to be rescued."

The bunker fell silent again. "Okay, so Valentina can be in on the secret," Ulrich said before turning to each of the children in the room in turn. "It can be your jobs to tell her sometime soon – but make it tactful. Don't come off as a pack of crazies."

"You're forgetting something," Kokoro said, twisting her mouth as if hinting to her father that he would be hitting himself on the head momentarily.

"What?"

"Valentina doesn't speak much French, according to Odd. We could start talking to her about _anything_ and she'd think we were a pack of crazies."

Again, the bunker fell silent. Katja bit her lip, sighing before she stood and timidly raised a hand as if volunteering for the task at hand. "I speak the best English here. I'll befriend Valentina and break the news to her. Until she's ready to learn about Diitto I'll just tell her that her uncle had to fly home unexpectedly or something."

"Do you think you'll be able to hold a conversation with her?" Ulrich asked his daughter.

"You doubt my language skills? I've been the head of my class for three years, Daddy. I've been studying English since I was eight. I think I can speak my choice foreign language well enough to make a foreigner feel comfortable around me. As for the rest of you-" Katja pointed to her sister, Matthias, and Franz in turn. "-brush up on your English or Russian. Waldo, Nancy - you know what foreign languages to take now."

Everyone seemed to nod his or her acknowledgement with varied levels of enthusiasm. Katja heard Kokoro stifle a moan. Her sister wasn't as academically talented as she, preferring gym to any other class, though Kokoro's English was pretty good because Katja's favorite way to practice was by talking to her.

Ulrich glanced at his watch before standing. "It's nearly four. I suppose we should leave now to get Valentina." He turned to face Aelita, rubbing his forehead. "We need to talk - but neither William or Odd will be missed until the day after the kids move into Kadic, so we have time to plan." Yumi and Jeremie were not mentioned. Katja's mother spent her time maintaining the home and making a point to teach her children and 'nephews' Japanese and Pencak Silat. All Ulrich had to do to mask her sudden absence was say that she was visiting her parents in Japan for an extended period of time. Jeremie did hold a teaching job at the local university, though it would not be uncharacteristic of him, via voice changer, to request a semester off. He had done so in the past to allow himself more time to work on Diitto, after all.

"You guys go on . . ." Kokoro muttered, leaning back against the couch. "May I stay here as long as you do?" she asked Aelita, being unusually polite by asking for permission rather than announcing that she wanted to stay.

"Of course," Aelita replied, standing. "I actually planned on staying here and running a few programs-"

"And we'll help," Waldo said suddenly, glancing at his brother and then walking across the room to the elevator. Franz seemed slightly confused, but started to follow, glancing back at Nancy and Matthias, who were standing on the other side of the room. Nancy immediately began to follow, while Matthias narrowed his eyes skeptically.

"Does that mean we'll be staying with you all?" he asked, looking at Aelita as he spoke.

"Just for the night - I don't feel comfortable leaving you alone in your hotel room," Aelita explained. "Especially not with Xana . . . not with Xana . . ." Aelita trailed for a moment before finally opening the elevator. She had moved to the keypad while speaking. "We can get your belongings after dinner . . ."

The elevator ride was silent. Katja watched as everyone save for her and Ulrich left for the computer room and then went to the main floor. Her father led the way out of the bunker and through the sewers while she trailed a few steps behind, running simple English phrases through her head. If only Odd's sister had married a Japanese instead of a Russian - she and Kokoro were fluent in Japanese, and her father along with Franz and Waldo were better with that language than she was with English courtesy of her mother tutorage.

Ulrich didn't say anything until he and Katja reached their car. "How much English do you know, exactly?" he asked, beginning the drive to the hotel that Odd always stayed in when he was in town.

"How much English did _you_ know at my age?"

"I don't have to answer that question. You, however, have to answer mine."

"I can talk about travel. We did a very detailed section on travel last year," Katja explained.

"Okay, good," Ulrich said somewhat distantly. "What about the word for art? Or something related to whatever Odd does with his studio?"

"I know the word for art," Katja assured her father.

"Good, good . . . then tell Valentina that Odd came across a business opportunity for his shop so he had to leave suddenly."

"That won't explain why he didn't pick up his belongings."

"Okay - then tell him a friend took ill so he went to see them. When he doesn't return use the studio excuse."

"Sure. Dad, please leave lying to the old Mrs. Dunbar to Aelita, okay? I think she'll be harder to fool."

Ulrich did not respond, and Katja felt herself smile. Though she still felt as if the world had ended, somehow speaking one-on-one with her father had managed to give her some energy. She wouldn't look as if she had been crying when she met with Valentina, anyway.

"What should I do?" Ulrich asked as he parked the car.

"Um . . . act natural?" Katja said, unsure why her father had asked such a question. "Valentina isn't going to find it strange that I have a parent. In fact, she'd probably be more suspicious if I came alone. Also, you have a picture of the old Lyoko warriors while you were kids in your wallet - we might need that as proof that we do actually know Odd . . ."

"Right . . ." Ulrich mumbled.

Katja led the way into the hotel and walked boldly up to the front desk, allowing her reserves of confidence and grace to take over as she addressed the attendant in her native tongue.

"Hello, I was wondering what room Odd Della Robbia had checked into early this morning. I'm here to greet his niece, who will be attending my school this year."

The desk attendant smiled at Katja and then looked up Odd's room on her computer. "You'll find Mr. Della Robbia and Miss Kotov in room 309. Have a pleasant day."

As Katja moved away from the front desk in the direction of the elevator she heard her father's cell phone go off. Simultaneously she received a text message on her own mobile, and managed to check it as Ulrich answered his call.

'_Mom is pretending to be Odd - when you get Valentina you will fetch Odd's things as well.' - Franz_

Glancing over her shoulder, Katja caught her father's bewildered expression before he managed to catch himself and play along with Aelita's charade.

"Oh . . . okay, Odd. And I'm supposed to what? Take your stuff and Valentina back to my place? Err - okay. Yeah, you probably should talk to the desk attendant . . ."

Katja watched as her father passed off his cell phone to the desk attendant before climbing into the elevator. She began muttering to herself in English again as she was lifted to the third floor, and once there she counted the number of steps - in English - that it took to reach room 309.

Before knocking, Katja took a deep breath, ran her hand through her long dark hair, and smoothed her skirt. Valentina did not answer the door right away. Katja had to knock a second time before she heard movement in the room, a muffled moan, and the door finally opened.

Valentina was a small girl, though she looked about Katja's age. Like Katja, Valentina had long hair, though of a pale blonde hue and much thinner and wavier. Her eyes were bright purple, and she was wearing a pair of white sweatpants and a blue T-shirt. The droopy expression on her face hinted that she had just woken up, though as she caught sight of Katja Valentina managed to sharpen her gaze.

"Can I help you?" she asked in heavily accented French.

"Hello, Valentina, my name is Katja Stern. My dad and I are here to take you back to our house because your uncle had to leave suddenly," Katja said, speaking in French. A creeping feeling of nervousness forced her to use that language as most of her English vocabulary seemed to vanish. Valentina cocked her head, though she didn't seem to do so because she hadn't understood - she was just confused.

"Where did he go?" she asked, still speaking in French.

"To visit a sick friend," Katja replied.

Valentina yawned and then mumbled in English. "Yeah right. I think he met some woman somewhere and wants to spend the day with her rather than come back to watch me. Oh, come in," she added in French, standing aside so that Katja could pass her.

Katja walked into the hotel room as Valentina closed the door behind her. "I was under the impression that you didn't speak much French," she said.

"I have been studying French for just over a year now. But I am not good at French. Also, I can understand far better than I can speak."

"Should we speak in English, then?" Katja asked. "I'm almost fluent. I can speak and understand English fairly well."

"I would prefer that," Valentina said, switching from French to English as she began pile her belongings on one of the twin beds in the room. "But if I say something that you don't understand then let me know. I'm fairly articulate when completely awake. That's part of the reason why my parents are getting rid of me."

"You sound like my sister," Katja said. "I'm a twin. Sometimes she's viewed as the evil one because she has a blacker personality."

"The word you are looking for is darker - don't use the color 'black' to describe personality," Valentina said, yawning again. "Anyway, my parents first tried to 'control me' by making me spend all my free time learning French. Whether they actually expected the French to work or not, it was oh so convenient to have me know the basics so that I could be sent to some boarding school abroad once they gave up on me."

Though Katja did not grasp everything that Valentina said as the other girl went around organizing her belongings, she gathered the general concept from her tone. Scanning the room, Katja noted that Odd's belongings were up against the wall closest to the bed Valentina wasn't piling things upon. She wondered how she and her father would get those belongings out of the hotel as well without making Valentina suspicious.

There was a knock on the door, and Valentina glanced at Katja before going to open it. Ulrich stood outside, his cell phone to his ear.

"Here she is now, Odd," he said, handing the phone to Valentina.

Valentina took the phone and listened for a moment. "Oh, so you are visiting a sick friend . . ." she muttered in English. "Nothing, nothing - but with your track record I thought otherwise . . ."

Katja bit her lip to keep from giggling. Aelita was likely having an amusing time on the other end of the line, especially since she didn't speak English.

"It really doesn't make a difference whether or not Mr. Stern takes me to Kadic or you do. I'll be fine. Just one thing through - why are you speaking in French?"

Katja felt herself tense, wondering how Aelita would respond to Valentina's question. How was she holding a conversation in the first place? She didn't understand or speak English . . . was Aelita even on the other end of the line?

Valentina made a crude noise before speaking again. "Yeah, you and my mom can say what you want about immersing me in a foreign culture, but I know that you really just want to get rid of me so save your crap." She closed the cell phone, effectively hanging up on her 'uncle Odd,' and then brusquely handed it back to Ulrich before going back to where she had left her suitcases on her bed.

"We can go after . . . err, I . . . change my clothes," she said, starting the sentence in French and finishing in English as she headed into the bathroom with a pair of jeans.

Once Valentina had disappeared Katja turned to her father, who spoke before she was able to pose her question.

"That was Kokoro - Aelita doesn't speak English." Ulrich glanced around the room. Odd only had one suitcase, while Valentina had half a dozen bags on her bed - everything she would need for at least the first half of the year at Kadic. "Are you two having any communication problems?"

"No, we understand each other well enough."

Valentina emerged from the bathroom a moment later wearing the same blue T-shirt and gray jeans. "We can go now," she said.


	9. Part 2, Section 2: Waldo

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Two: **

**Frantic Scurrying

* * *

**

**Author's Note: **A couple of things I'd like to mention before I post the next section of the story . . .

1) Odd is American, (at least in this story.) I don't think the series ever specifies exactly where he is from, but some people consider him Italian and others say he's American. Once there was a reference to him living halfway around the world. I took that as being from America, since I don't consider Italy half a world away from France. This is why Valentina is considered an American.

2) Pertaining to my names for the story - I'd like to explain briefly why I chose each of them. Aelita and Jeremie named their sons Franz and Waldo because those were Aelita's father's names. Yumi and Ulrich named their daughters Katja and Kokoro because Katja is a very German name (in German, 'j' is pronounced like 'ya' - thus the name is pronounced Katya) while Kokoro means 'heart' or 'emotion' in Japanese if I recall. I spent too long on Matthias's and Nancy's names, in the end just going with the first names that popped into my head that seemed to follow the same style as the name William – Jacob and Nancy. (Since the start of the story I have gone back and changed Jacob's name to Matthias because Jacob is overused in the Code Lyoko Fanfiction world.) Valentina's name was simple - I wanted to give her a Russian name, and Valentina is one of my favorite Russian names.

3) Prior to writing this section, I had a lot of fun looking up French first and last names to make the story more realistic. (It's taking place in France after all.) So if any future names seem a little foreign to some of my readers, then that might be why.

**

* * *

Waldo (Section 2.2)**

The van was too crowded. Waldo was wedged in the back seat between Matthias and Nancy, wondering why Franz got to ride shotgun. His leg had fallen asleep within the first three minutes - luckily Kadic wasn't much more than ten minutes from the Hermitage. Aelita was driving. Waldo knew that his mother would have stayed in the bunker all evening, but once he, Franz, Matthias, and Nancy had pointed out that they needed to eat dinner and grab the Dunbar children's things she consented to take them home. Kokoro had left about two hours before that time. Once they had returned to the Hermitage and eaten, Waldo knew that his mother had hidden herself in her bedroom. She thought she had been crying and didn't know how much sleep she had gotten the previous night.

Though Nancy and Franz spoke a bit, the car was relatively silent. Waldo was fine with that - he had plenty of thoughts to lose himself in. He hadn't gotten much sleep either last night; Waldo had gone over data from the supercomputer on his new laptop hoping to make some headway into finding how Xana had survived and how to bring back his father, Yumi, Odd, and William. When he had tired of that Waldo began glancing over the coding and applications of various programs for the supercomputer.

Part of the silence was because there was no reason for Aelita to lecture the children about keeping quiet about Diitto before dropping them off at school - Waldo and the others knew that telling anyone about the supercomputer would lead to more problems than it was worth. There was a return to the past program dormant in Diitto that would, theoretically, allow them to repeat the past in case of disaster, however Aelita did not want to have to use it, nor did she have the time to make sure if Xana had left it glitch-free since she claimed to want to focus all of her energy on freeing Jeremie and the others. When Waldo and Franz had asked for the program she had given it to them quite readily, claiming that between the two of them it was likely that they could check the program for bugs and whether or not using it would strengthen Xana.

Waldo just hoped Kadic didn't give out too much homework - he wanted to get started on the return to the past program the second he was moved into his room. He had been crossing his fingers all summer with the hope that he would get a single room - and he wanted one even more now that he planned to spend so much of his time working on Diitto-related stuff. A roommate would only get in the way - Waldo was sure of that. Kadic was a very prestigious school - even more prestigious than it had been when his parents had attended - and though it had been expanded since the first decade of the new millennium with the addition of another academic building and a second dormitory, Franz still claimed that there were too many students for the small academy.

At last, Aelita finally parked in the academy's parking lot next to the dormitories. The new one was about ten years old now, but it still looked a lot nicer than the old one. Waldo let his eyes wander what he could see of the campus as he and the others unloaded the trunk of his mom's van and the space in front of the back and behind the driver and passenger seats (the two seats that were normally there had been folded down to make room for luggage) before walking into the lobby of the new dormitory to check in.

There was a line just inside the door, and Waldo stood at the back and watched Franz and Matthias leer at one another, unable to come to a silent agreement about who was before the other in line. Nancy stood behind them beside Aelita, asking questions about the computer classes at Kadic. Waldo hadn't realized she was interested in computers - well, then again, she had a parent trapped in one . . .

"Hey, Waldo, see those idiots over-"

"Franz."

"Sorry, Mom. Anyway, those kids over there - avoid them. They make Matthias look smart-"

"Dude, I'm right here!"

"Franz!"

As Franz apologized in a tone that hinted he was not at all apologetic, Waldo made a point to glance at the boys his brother had nodded towards. They looked like they were Franz's age, eighth graders. One was dark-haired and wore ripped jeans and a T-shirt advertising a rock band while the other was a tall ginger. He had the build of the people that were put in clothing magazines. Curiously, he glanced at Nancy, guessing correctly that he would be the one of the two she'd be staring at.

"Stéphane and Isaac aren't that bad. Just don't act like Franz and you should be fine. In fact, act against Franz and they'll adore you," Matthias added smugly. Aelita shot him a rueful glare.

"Hmm, I wonder if I'll be in the good dormitory this year," Franz mused, trying to change the subject. Waldo knew that the new dormitory was more than twice the size of the old one, and that the old one tended to house sixth and seventh graders while the new dormitory housed twelfth, eleventh, tenth, ninth, and the eighth graders that didn't fit in the old dormitory. Older students were given single rooms in the new dormitory over younger students getting rooms in that dormitory at all.

"You should be," Aelita assured him. She pursed her lips together as she spoke. "But Nancy and Waldo are guaranteed to be in the old building. That could be problematic . . . possibly. Hopefully not."

Waldo wanted to ask his mother to elaborate on her trailed mumblings, but he held back the urge. She seemed too distraught by whatever thoughts had caused her to speak. Instead, he shifted his attentions to the other students standing around the lobby. One particular group of students caught his eye. There were eight of them, four girls and four boys, and though they all seemed to look different, each with a different face and a slightly different shade of brown hair, Waldo couldn't help thinking that they were connected somehow. He watched as the group stood around silently until two men - one of which Waldo recognized as the principal of the school - approached. He began speaking to the group, and the second man quickly translated. The strange kids didn't speak French - they were Russian.

"Hey, Franz, have you ever seen those people before?" Waldo asked, nodding across the room at the Russians.

Franz looked and then shook his head. "No, they are probably new. Never seen them in my life." He then resumed his argument with Matthias about soccer.

While waiting for his group's turn to sign in, Waldo spied on the Russian students, Stéphane, and Isaac. He didn't see why Franz hated the two boys so much, for neither of them showed any signs of knowing his brother (or Matthias for that matter) as they spoke with one another. Right before his party reached the front desk, Waldo watched a pretty girl with silvery hair come out of the elevator. She met with Stéphane and Isaac and they escorted her from the dormitory.

"Next," called the secretary at the desk.

Aelita stepped forward, shoving ahead of the four children that surrounded her. "Good morning, I'm here to check in my sons, Franz and Waldo Belpois, along with Matthias and Nancy Dunbar."

"Just one moment . . ." said the desk attendant as she touched the screen of her computer. "Ah, yes. Nancy is sharing a room on the third floor of the Jean-Pierre building while Waldo is alone on the second floor of the J.P. building. I have Matthias and Franz marked as each sharing a room in the Elizabeth building - do you two wish to be roommates?"

Franz asked "What?" in astonishment; Matthias essentially screamed "No!" loud enough for the entire lobby to hear. The desk attendant blinked in confusion, and then turned to Aelita. She smiled sweetly and asked the woman to wait a moment before grabbing both Matthias and Franz by the shoulder and dragging them a few feet away. Waldo edged toward them, leaving his suitcases behind so that he could eavesdrop.

"Look, I know that you two hate one another, but it really would be in your best interest if you agree to room this year . . ."

"Absolutely not," Franz said.

"For once, I actually agree with him," Matthias added.

"Boys," Aelita said through gritted teeth. "For numerous reasons, I'm going to _make_ you to room together this year! It'll be safer, for one, especially if Xana has the energy to attack as he used to. We don't know the full extent of his powers yet, after all. Secondly, having each other as roommates ensures you won't get a nosy roommate who might decide to . . . say, rat you out of you ever happen to sneak out in the dead of night to take a trip to a certain virtual world. Do you understand where I'm going with this?"

"Yeah . . ." Franz mumbled. Matthias merely glared at Mrs. Belpois.

"Good, because from this point forward you are roommates," Aelita said, moving back to the secretary. She began to speak with her again, and a moment later waved everyone out of line and towards a corner of the room. Waldo received a key and a small envelope from his mother.

"Now, you and Nancy stay here for a moment while I walk these two to their room," Aelita told him. "I'm gonna drop them off, trust that they won't kill each other, and that they're mature enough to begin unpacking on their own while I help you two . . ."

"Okay," Waldo and Nancy acknowledged, watching as Aelita disappeared into the elevator with their older brothers. The two did not speak as they waited; though they had played together when they were younger, most of that time before the Dunbars had divorced two or three years ago, they weren't at all close. But Waldo did consider the redheaded girl to be his friend.

Almost ten minutes later Aelita returned. In that time, the Russian students had split into two groups, with the eldest five heading up the elevator and the smallest three heading out the doors in the direction of the other dormitory. Waldo had watched them almost the entire time.

"We'll move you in first, Waldo, and then go upstairs for Nancy," Aelita said.

"Okay. I'm capable of unpacking on my own, though," Waldo said sheepishly.

"Well, of course you are - but I still would like to make sure you are settled in anyway . . ."

Waldo rolled his eyes and adopted a slouch as he slowly followed his mother toward his dormitory. Nancy muttered, "My dad would be doing the same thing," as she passed him.

Waldo had been assigned a room in the back of the building that overlooked the courtyard – what had previously been forest – between the two dormitories instead of the academic portion of the school. His mother handed him his key and he opened the door, swinging it wide to reveal an empty bed frame, a desk, a stack of barren shelves, and a wardrobe. The room was both cramped and cozy at the same time.

"You are lucky, not everyone ends up with shelves in their room. I suppose they figured you would be like your father and need them for all those things you tinker with," Aelita said, beginning to unpack Waldo's bedding. "Nancy, you can put everything in that suitcase on the desk. Waldo, unpack your clothes."

Hastily, Waldo hurried to obey his mother's command, scanning the inside of his wardrobe and then carefully assigning a place to each type of article. He finished last, but not by much. Aelita had emptied what was left in his second suitcase, the one she intended to take home, by dumping the items on his pristinely made bed. Waldo was silently happy that she'd made it for him, mainly because he knew Aelita wouldn't have made Franz's bed. Being the youngest child did have its perks.

"Come on, you two. It's Nancy's turn now."

Waldo followed Nancy and his mother upstairs to the girls' floor. Unlike Waldo, she had to share her room with someone - her roommate had moved in the night before, flying in from India the previous day. Nancy had, apparently, volunteered to room with a girl she didn't know and do her best to make her feel welcome in France over the phone the previous week. Waldo wondered if she was regretting the decision now that she had Diitto to worry about . . .

Nancy knocked timidly on her door. "Hello? Chakori? It's Nancy."

A moment later a young Indian girl answered the door. She had short hair cut just below her ears, blue-rimmed glasses, and wore a dark shirt and faded jeans, reminding Waldo of Kokoro with her fashion choice.

"Hello!" Chakori mused, moving aside and waving everyone into her room. "It's good to finally meet you - I was told your name but that's all."

"I was told your name, that you are from India, and that you're already fluent in French," Nancy added with a bit of a smile. "Oh, and this is my aunt Aelita, for all intensive purposes, and her son Waldo. He also goes here."

"Ah, it's good to meet you, too!" Chakori said sweetly. She then turned back to Nancy. "So, your parents sent you here alone as well?"

Waldo tensed, but Nancy managed to smooth what could have potentially been an awkward situation over with ease. "Yeah. I drove with my father and brother, but my dad had to go back home so he left us with family friends."

"I see. Allow me to help you with that," Chakori said hastily, seeing that Nancy was beginning to unpack.

"Thanks."

"I'll make your bed, Nancy, and then leave you," Aelita said, beginning the intended process. "There's something that I need to attend to at home." Waldo knew exactly what his mother was referring to. He doubted she would leave her computer for the next week.

"Err, is there anything I can do to help?" he asked, feeling as though because Nancy had a roommate to help her unpack his assistance was unnecessary.

"Um," Nancy said, biting her lip as she thought. "You can probably go. There isn't anything I can think of at the moment. I'll see you later, Waldo."

"Yeah, later. Let's hope we are in the same class," Waldo added. _It will be so much easier if Xana attacks that way,_ he added to himself as he slipped out of the room.

Initially Waldo headed to the stairs, intending to head back to his room and set up the computer he would keep in his room, when a second idea came into his head: he'd spy on the Russian students some more! There was something about them that fascinated Waldo. He couldn't articulate what, but something about them felt . . . off.

Waldo stopped by the stairwell and thought. The three students to head to his building had been two girls and a boy. He didn't know were any of them had been put up for the year, but suspected the girls would be roommates while the boy would have a single, like him. In that case, it would be easiest to check all of the rooms that were meant for only one occupant on his floor. Waldo hurried down the stairs.

He walked slowly past each of the doors, most of which were closed, trying to judge based on the amount of space between them whether the rooms had been made for one or two occupants. He passed a couple of other boys his age, ignoring them completely as he focused on his search. Finished with the side of the hall that faced the other dormitory, Waldo crossed the hallway and began to walk down the opposite side of the corridor, almost immediately running into the one he sought. The Russian boy his age passed him without making eye contact on his way to the restroom. Waldo hesitated for a moment, and then turned to watch the other boy disappear behind the bathroom door at the end of the hall. Rather than following him or waiting in the hallway, the blond boy seized the opportunity to steal down the hallway and duck into the room that the Russian boy had emerged from.

The Russian boy had traveled light, not owning anything that did not appear to be an essential item. His bed was neatly made, desk organized, and the two suitcases he had brought with him were lined against the wall. Somewhat bewildered by what he found, Waldo hurried from the room, thankful that the hallway was empty, and then made a point to wait for the Russian boy in the center of the hallway.

When he emerged from the bathroom Waldo summoned the strength to act. "Hello, my name is Waldo. I'm a sixth grader this year. What's your name?"

"My name is Ivan. I am a seventh grader," said the boy. His voice was stiff, almost forced. After answering Waldo's question, he continued back to his room.

"Err, are you also new here?" Waldo asked, not wanting to lose the Russian boy just yet.

"I don't speak much French," responded Ivan, continuing into his room and closing the door behind him. Waldo raised an eyebrow, bewildered, before finally making his way back to his own room. There would be time to figure out why the Russian students were so strange later. Presently he had programs to debug. First and foremost: the return to the past.

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**Author's Note:** Hope you enjoyed the section! The next update will be December 2nd 2010, two days from now. It would be nice if my wonderful readers told me what they thought of the story so far. :)


	10. Part 2, Section 3: Valentina

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Two: **

**Frantic Scurrying

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**

**Author's Note:** As promised, here's the next section! (Originally I have the first of three extra sections tacked on to the end of this section, though deleted it in editing after creating a character biography section.) The next part of the story will be uploaded in two more days on the 4th. Hope you enjoy.

**

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Valentina (Section 2.3)**

"Why don't you live on campus?" Valentina asked Katja and Kokoro, speaking in English. Katja responded easily enough as she spoke, but Kokoro had only mumbled a few basic phrases. In fact, Katja's sister had made herself nonexistent the previous evening and had only appeared when, according to Katja, her father threatened to dress her in pink if she did not come with the rest of them to move Valentina into Kadic Academy. Valentina didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with Kokoro by having her come to Kadic against her will, but at the same time she didn't care too much whether the other girl liked her.

"Our home is more comfortable," Katja responded. "And it's a nice walk or bike ride - except when it rains. Our mom usually drives us when it-" Katja paused briefly. "-rains."

"I'm sure your grandmother will get better soon," Valentina said simply, throwing her Frisbee under her bed.

"I hope so," Katja mumbled.

The subject needed to be changed. Valentina allowed one of her most evil natures to take over. "So, why not introduce me to some ninth grade guys? Anyone good here?"

"Uh, we can introduce you to our friends," Katja offered as Kokoro rolled her eyes and made a forced gagging sound. Valentina figured that Kokoro would be the most fun to nag about boys in the future if the opportunity arose. "There are a few people here who we grew up with. Would you like to meet them?"

"Of course!" Valentina mused, leading the way from her room and into the fourth floor hallway on the girl's side of the building. Because her mother had explained that she had limited French, Valentina had been assured room all to herself. Katja pulled out her cell phone and said 'Franz' to dial someone through voice activation. A moment later the other girl spoke in French, and Valentina was pleased to understand nearly everything.

"Hey, Franz, it's Katja. Valentina wants to meet you and the rest of our friends." She paused while Franz spoke. "No, she doesn't know yet . . ." Then, Katja began to speak an entirely different language quite rapidly. Bewildered, Valentina glanced at Kokoro.

"We are fluent in Japanese," she said in English.

Wondering why Katja had felt the need to use a language that she had no chance of understanding, Valentina waited silently with her arms crossed across her chest until the other girl closed her cell phone and began to walk. "Franz lives on the third floor on the boy's side with Matthias. He's also a family friend, though a complete moron."

"I see - and which of these boys do you like?" Valentina asked, feeling the need to be annoying once more.

"Neither," Katja said stiffly.

Valentina stifled a snicker. "I'll pair you with this Franz kid, then," she said, watching Katja grow slightly red. Valentina then turned to Kokoro and grinned. "That means you get Matthias!"

"I'd rather be stabbed in the heart a thousand times," Kokoro replied in English. She added something else in French that Valentina didn't catch.

Valentina remained quiet until she and the other two girls reached Franz and Matthias's room. It was set up with the beds on the left and the right walls, both desks beneath the window on the far side, and small walk-in closets on either side of the door. A blond boy wearing a white T-shirt and jeans was sitting at one of the desks, typing on a desktop computer. The second occupant of the room was lying on one of the beds, throwing a soccer ball into the air and catching it again repeatedly.

"Well, this is a surprise - you two aren't killing each other," Kokoro mused in French, making herself at home by sitting on the empty bed.

"I have bigger problems than being forced to room with a baboon," the blond boy grumbled, not looking away from his computer. The screen was covered in words, though the formatting didn't resemble a writing assignment.

"Like being a loser?" asked the boy lying on one of the beds.

"Matthias, Franz, this is Valentina," Katja interrupted, nodding to each of the boys as she introduced them. "Valentina, this is Matthias and that's Franz."

"What's up?" Matthias asked cheekily. Franz simultaneously muttered a quick, mindless greeting as he stared at his computer.

"Sky," Valentina replied, pleased to know that useful French vocabulary word. She then turned to Kokoro. "You know, that one's acceptable," she said, nodding at Matthias. "Sorry, but I might have to take him from you."

"What the hell is wrong with you? Didn't you understand me earlier? I even spoke in English!"

"What-?" Matthias asked, confused.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," Valentina said, trying to smooth things over. She looked up again, eyes widening in shock. Either her eyes were deceiving her, or there was an eagle sitting outside the window.

"There is a-"

Before Valentina had the chance to finish her sentence, the great golden bird let out a horrible screech and began to slam repeatedly into the window. Moments later two more eagles appeared and began to do the same.

"Is this-?" Matthias asked.

"Xana!" Franz cried, backing away from the computer. He crossed the room, forcing everyone before him out into the hallway and speaking rapidly in French. Valentina struggled to understand him. In the confusion, she found herself being dragged down the hallway with Matthias, Franz, Katja, and Kokoro. Franz, Matthias, and Kokoro were on their cell phones.

"What was wrong with those birds?" Valentina asked, speaking in English as a feeling of worry began to enshroud her.

"I'll explain later. Now we have to focus on getting into the sewers."

"_Where?_"

"Really, I will explain later. But you have to trust me. Please, Valentina. Your uncle's life might be on the line."

Katja's words cut through Valentina - she liked a good laugh, but she never joked about death or hurting anyone. Assumedly Katja, whom Valentina liked despite only meeting her the previous day, also refrained from mentioning such things unless being very serious.

"Okay, I trust you. What's going on, though?"

Kokoro hung up her phone and said something to her sister in Japanese. A moment later Franz did the same as Matthias screamed something about how they needed to stop speaking to one another in their secret tongue.

"Oh, and Nancy can't get away now because she and her roommate are talking," Matthias added as they reached the stairwell and began racing down to the first floor. Doing so would be quicker than using the elevator.

"We'll just have to make due without her. Waldo will come when he can, but he's gotten further with checking the return to the past program for bugs than I have so he's going to finish that first, and Kokoro told Aelita about the eagles so she'll try and meet us at the bunker and pass word to Daddy," Katja said. Valentina had a feeling that she was missing something important – regardless of understanding most of what Katja had just told everyone.

"According to my dad there's a passage to the sewers in the gym-" said Kokoro.

"That was _years_ ago! There might not be a passage anymore," Matthias retorted.

"In that case, we'll probably encounter eagles on our way to the manhole in the woods," Franz said.

"Sis, Matthias-" Katja said, pausing briefly once the group reached the base of the stairwell before they entered the lobby of the dormitory. "-we need to get Franz and Valentina to Diitto at all costs. If there's too many eagles to avoid or something horrible like that, one of us will have to cause a diversion."

"We know!" Matthias grumbled exasperatedly. He pushed past Katja into the lobby, and the others followed. Valentina, like the others, instantly became calm and collected. The move-in period had ended more than an hour ago, so the number of people mulling around had sharply decreased, but there were still enough adults to raise a few eyebrows at five kids running out of the stairwell as if they were being chased.

"Everyone, just make a run for it," Franz said as they stepped outside. The eagles were nowhere in sight - Valentina ran. She had expected to pass the others, but everyone else was just as fast as she was. That both alarmed and impressed her. _These were some strange kids . . ._

"They've found us!" Katja called, looking back over her shoulder. Valentina didn't dare to do the same. A moment later, Kokoro announced that she was causing a diversion and stopped running. Valentina paused briefly, but Franz grabbed her hand and tugged her along with him.

"You need to get to Diitto for Odd's sake!" he said.

Valentina didn't respond, instead hastily bursting ahead of the others only to realize she didn't know where she was going and dropping back behind Franz once more. The campus was left behind, and woodland surrounded them. Franz led her and the others into a small clearing where a pile of dead, out-of-season debris was the only unusual feature to hint anything out of the ordinary. Matthias reached the pile first and kicked it aside, reaching down and easily moving aside the heavy manhole cover.

"It's a good thing that we put boards down there a few days ago," Franz grumbled, climbing down and disappearing from sight.

"If only we'd known the circumstances . . ." Katja mumbled, following.

"Go," Matthias urged Valentina. She hesitated, but finally consented to climb into the sewer. The smell was awful, but manageable. That, and Valentina was too bewildered by the events of late to care about a few strange smells.

Matthias climbed down after Valentina, and he shouted something after Franz and Katja once he realized that they were already halfway down the tunnel. Valentina couldn't understand him - of all of the kids she'd met so far in France, he had the most slurring to his speech, and that made it hard for her to understand his French (especially when he spoke quickly.)

"Skateboard?"

Though Matthias had used a complete sentence to address Valentina, she hadn't gotten more than the last word - but she understood the context anyway. "No, I do not know how," she replied. Her eyes wandered. "But I can ride a scooter."

"That was . . . Nancy, but . . . not coming you can use it," Matthias said, reaching for one of the three remaining skateboards. Valentina only caught every few words. "Follow me!"

"Err, okay . . ." Valentina said, beginning to ride after Matthias as he rolled down the sewer on a skateboard. Her mind raced: either she was crazy, or she had stumbled upon something _really_ crazy. But Katja had mentioned that her uncle Odd was in danger, and Valentina had always felt a certain connection with her uncle Odd. In some ways they were very similar. Both had, apparently, gone through phases when small children where they refused to walk on two legs, instead preferring to pretend they were dogs.

The blonde girl lost track of time as she traveled, thoughts swirling. She was jolted back into the present when she saw that the others, who had traveled much faster than her, had stopped in front of an old, rusty door. As she stopped, Franz met her gaze while he tapped the wall, speaking as it slid away like a panel and revealed a keypad or sorts.

"The password is 7442. This door leads into the bunker where my dad made his supercomputer," he said in French.

"His _what_?" Valentina asked.

"Supercomputer," said Katja in English, entering through the door that Franz had just opened. She dragged Valentina with her, barely allowing the girl time to look around. Valentina was shoved into an elevator, and when she was let out again the girl found herself in a strange room, the highlight of which was some complicated-looking computer thing. As Valentina's eyes widened in awe, Franz jumped into one of the interface chairs and began to touch the screen with his left hand and occasionally type on the attached keyboard with his right.

"Katja, call my mom - figure out where she is!" Franz demanded.

"Okay," Katja said, taking out her cell phone again. "I hope my sis is okay . . ."

The sound of a popular rock song filled the bunker. Franz reached into his pocket with his right hand and pulled out his cell phone, handing it to Valentina, who was nearest to him. "Answer," he told her.

"Err . . . hello?" Valentina said, timidly holding the mobile up to her ear.

"Franz, I found a bug in the program! I think I will be able to fix it, but we won't be able to go back in time safely for a while - wait, who are you?"

"My name is Valentina, and I cannot understand you very well. You get to talk to Matthias now," Valentina said, hastily ridding herself of the phone and the young-sounding boy on the other end.

A moment later Katja spoke. "Aelita is on her way. She says that three of us should go to Diitto without her, and that when she gets here she'll send the fourth and take over the computer."

"Okay, I'll activate the scanners to send us in two minutes! Matthias, tell me what Waldo wants."

Valentina did not catch a word Matthias said. She began to rue not being a more studious French student back in home in America.

"Okay, we're set. Katja, you stay here. Matthias, Valentina, we have to go to the arctic sector to deactivate the activated tower. Then we'll grab Odd from the sylvan sector," Franz said.

As Franz grabbed her hand and dragged her back into the elevator, Valentina's heart began to pound with fear. Something crazy _was_ going on - these kids were talking about supercomputers and life-or-death situations and who knew what else! Matthias inputted something onto the keypad in the elevator that allowed the three of them to cross through into a second round room. The new room was plain, save for three huge white pillars.

Franz opened one, startling Valentina and then paused before her. For the first time, the boy spoke slowly, as if to acknowledge the language gap between them. He seemed to want her to understand what he said as he met her gaze.

"You are going to be sent to a virtual world called Diitto. I need to get to a tower that was activated by a bad thing called Xana. You and Matthias need to make sure that I can do that without losing all of my-" Valentina did not understand the last word Franz said, but as he hastily climbed into one of the white columns she mimicked him. It closed around her, sending a wave of panic through every fiber of her body.

"If I wake up and find that I'm dreaming, I promise to be a good child from this point forward . . ." she whispered to herself as a blast of wind surrounded her and her vision was clouded in white light.

A sensation of pain, though it wasn't painful, followed being dropped through the air. Valentina's mind whirled . . .

_For the briefest moment, Valentina found herself in a place filled with trees. A white ball of light hurled itself toward her, fusing with her chest. Valentina seized, and dropped to her knees, pinching her eyes shut and folding her arms instinctively over her chest as a warm, protective feeling engulfed her . . ._


	11. Part 2, Section 4: Matthias

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Two: **

**Frantic Scurrying

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**

**Author's Note:** I can't remember, did I explain the rating for this story anywhere? This section is when the story starts to earn its 'T' rating with language. Just a warning, though I don't consider the language my characters use to be too strong. And they only tend to curse when being attacked by Xana or when very unhappy. I'll also say that the story is only rated T for language (at least for now.) I stand by making this an Action/Friendship fic, since I do plan to test the friendship of my characters in the end. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

**

* * *

Matthias (Section 2.4)**

After falling on his butt for a second time upon being virtualized, Matthias hastily stood and glanced around. The arctic sector was overwhelmingly white, the only traces of color being the pale gray of the large rocks that dotted the landscape in clusters, and though it was dark and night-like Matthias felt as though the dark colors on his Diitto costume would be a disadvantage. Once again, Franz's costume had changed colors to match the terrain. It was now completely white. A twinge of envy flashed through Matthias - _why did Franz get the costume that adapted to each sector?_

"Valentina, are you okay?"

Matthias spun around, following Franz's gaze. The American girl was lying crumpled on the ground - she had landed badly as well. Her Diitto costume was quite different from everyone else's. It was a pale blue, though her underside seemed white, and covered every part of her (except for her head, from which a pair of furry ears sprouted) as a well-fitting body suit. Her hands and feet had been transformed into large paws, and she had a bushy, wolf-like tail on her backside.

"That was strange . . ." mumbled the American girl, struggling onto her feet. She looked awkward, as a wolf would look if it attempted to walk on its hind legs, but didn't stumble or anything.

"I was able to land this time - you'll be able to next time as well," Franz said. As Matthias began to wonder how Franz had remembered to land on his second trip to Diitto, Valentina shook her head.

"No. The feeling I had a moment ago was strange. I was . . ." Finding it difficult to articulate in French, Valentina switched to English. "I was in a forest, and a ball of white light flew into my chest. It was a strange feeling . . ."

"Katja, what did she say?" Matthias asked, not understanding more than a word or two. Foreign languages were not his strong point, and Matthias had always rued the fact that Kadic required its students to take English and one additional foreign language.

"She . . . just described how Yumi's digital essence entered Kokoro yesterday - from Kokoro's point of view, too." Katja paused, then switched to English. "Valentina, how did you know that?"

"I don't know - it just came to me!" Valentina squeaked in English, sounding timid.

Franz switched back to French as he spoke. "We have to get to the tower as soon as possible! According to my mom, Xana has less influence on Diitto now than he used to have on Lyoko. If her theory is correct, his attack will get stronger as it goes on, so our best bet for adverting disaster is to act quickly."

"How do you know that?" Matthias asked. It irked him that he had to take Franz's word for everything related to Diitto. His father was trapped, too - the previous day all he had been able to do was watch as Franz, his brother, and his mother glanced at computer coding on their respective computers.

Franz hesitated, as if wondering whether it was worth his time to explain further. "My mom believes that Xana somehow wasn't destroyed completely by my dad's multi-agent program all those years ago, and that he was cloistered in some remote computer system not connected to the Internet as the program was released - essentially giving himself a fail-safe if anything happened to him. But, wherever he was all these years, he didn't just sit still - seconds after Diitto was activated he invaded. He had programs ready to cut our parents off from the system, and to create monsters of his own. Unlike he was originally with Lyoko, though, Xana is not connected to Diitto. In fact, he's barely here at all - though that could change with time. I mean, compared to some of the attacks our parents told us about, three rabid eagles is nothing . . . but Xana can't do much else yet. However, there is a chance that with each successive attack he might gain the ability to mount progressively more dangerous attacks on the real world. Individual attacks, by the same logic, would become stronger as they went on as well."

"So, he's got a slow-start embedded into his program?" came Katja's voice from somewhere in the sky.

"We could say that, at least for now," Franz said. He glanced over his shoulder. "Come on, guys, we don't have time to waste! The tower is due north!"

Franz began to run, and Valentina hesitated but hastily began her pursuit. As she ran, she tripped and then fell onto her hands, muttering what sounded like a string of English curse words by her tone as she began to streak across the snow on fours.

"Matthias, get going!" came Katja's voice. "The screen shows some red circles up ahead - Xana has three monsters waiting to intercept you!"

Groaning, Matthias began to run. Franz and Valentina had disappeared from sight, climbing a huge snowdrift onto a plateau. A laser flew past him as he burst onto level ground, instantly summoning his sword to his side and running up to a large block-like creature. As he approached, the creature's head seemed to spin around in a circle, focusing on him and aiming a beam of ice toward his feet. Matthias jumped in place, rotating in the air to avoid the attack and watching as a small pile of ice formed where he had been standing moments before. He landed behind the creature and then quickly struck it with his sword, destroying it instantly. As it exploded into a thousand pieces, Matthias straightened and then glanced around to see what had become of Franz and Valentina.

Franz was doing his best to dodge the lasers from the two remaining monsters while Valentina stood petrified a few paces away, eyes widened in disbelief at the sight. Wondering what was wrong with her, Matthias sprung into action, charging one of the block-monsters. But before he could reach it, the creatures spun in place, targeting him. One shot a laser, which Matthias sidestepped to avoid, inadvertently brushing against the beam of ice that the other one aimed at his feet.

"Oh, this is just effing awesome - _aack_!"

One of the creatures struck him with a laser, and Matthias felt a momentary spasm of the pseudo-pain that always followed being struck by a laser on Diitto. Through narrowed eyes, he watched as Franz took aim at a monster, while Katja simultaneously called out to him.

"Careful, Matthias, you just lost twenty life points when that block hit you!"

"I'm kind of immobilized right now!" hissed Matthias in response, beginning to hack away at the ice around his foot with the tip of his sword. He was shot again by the third block as Franz de-virtualized the second. At the rate he was losing life points, he would be back in the bunker before Franz even caught sight of the tower. And what was Valentina doing anyway? Matthias felt a flash of disappointment upon realizing that she was probably one of those girls that was all flashy when flirting but otherwise nothing more than deadweight. She'd seemed cool enough when she first entered his room, but after that the blank, confused expression on her face had just annoyed him.

Matthias managed to block the next laser the last monster sent in his direction before Franz finally shot and destroyed it. "Come on," the blond boy said, glancing north.

"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm stuck!" Matthias said through gritted teeth, continuing to hack away at the ice on his foot.

Valentina appeared at his side, purple eyes wide with shock and confusion. She placed a forepaw on Matthias's frozen foot, flexed what seemed to be claws, and then dug into the ice. It shattered instantly, freeing the boy.

"Thanks," Matthias muttered, thinking that it was about time that the American did something useful. Valentina said nothing in response, merely turning and then beginning to dart after Franz in the direction of the tower. Matthias followed, slinging his sword over his shoulder as he ran.

"Franz, Matthias, Valentina?"

"Mom?" Franz asked, stopping and glancing skyward. Aelita's voice had just filled the sector - Mrs. Belpois had made it to the bunker at last!

"Yes, I'm here, and I'm going to send Ulrich and Katja to Diitto now," Aelita replied. "Did you pick up Odd, yet?"

Franz adopted a blank expression. "No . . . we just got here a few minutes ago and had to fight off some blocks. Matthias lost forty life points. We set our course for the tower-"

"Odd's digital essence is in the sylvan sector, Franz!" Aelita said, taking a harsh tone with her son. Normally Matthias would have been highly amused by the scene, but a nagging feeling of worry was creeping through his chest. It had seemed most logical to deactivate the tower and then go look for Odd to see if he would jump into Valentina in the same way that his father had jumped into him. However, Aelita seemed to think otherwise. "Valentina needs to get him as soon as possible - according to the data here most of the power being drawn from the activated tower in the arctic region is being used to generate two groups of monsters. Up ahead there are a dozen surrounding the tower, while back in the sylvan region the tower that was closest to you yesterday is being attacked by two additional monsters. It won't hold up much longer!"

"I - I didn't realize . . ." Franz stammered, turning to Valentina, green eyes soft with sorry. "We'll go to the sylvan sector right away-"

"No, you have to get to the activated tower - I'll take her to the sylvan sector," Matthias said. Only after closing his mouth did he realize what he had just volunteered to do.

"Thank you, Matthias. Even with only sixty life points left, you should still be able to get Valentina close enough to the tower to save Odd," Aelita said. "Head to the nearest waytower now - southeast of your position. I'm going to begin Ulrich and Katja's transfer now, so Franz won't be left alone for long."

"Right," Matthias said, turning in place. He glanced at Valentina, shouting "Come on" as he began to head southeast. Matthias didn't look back to see if Valentina had begun to follow. If she had an ounce of sense in her she would have.

"What is 'waytower' in English?" came a question in French. Valentina had caught up to Matthias, glancing up at him every few paces as she ran at his side on all four of her paws.

"No idea," Matthias replied. "I don't speak much English," he told her. "My old school did not make its students take it, so I just started two years ago. I can't understand anything you say in English, really."

"I stopped understanding you after the word 'school.' You slur your words too much, so I can't understand you, either," Valentina replied, also in French, her tone slightly singsong to show that she had lightened the situation. Matthias noted that her French wasn't bad - it was just heavily accented and simplistic – as he noticed that the side of Valentina that he had first met slowly seemed to be returning.

"There!" Matthias said, pointing with his left hand as he ran. A tower had appeared in the distance, mounted on a snowy cliff-side made of exposed rock. The two eighth-graders stopped before the cliff, looking up at the tower above them. Matthias narrowed his eyes, welcoming the challenge. He could jump from rock to rock and . . .

Valentina sprung forward, gripping a large rock with her claws. For a moment Matthias seized, worried that she would fall, but instead Valentina began to walk up the side of the cliff. Her claws seemed to allow her to defy gravity - that, or they could cling onto anything, even rock. Snorting resentfully, Matthias began to jump from rock to rock, making use of the fact that he seemed to be able to seek out all of the thin ledges and footholds instinctively as he wondered why everyone else seemed to have a cooler Diitto costume and abilities. He had a sword that could spit electricity. That was all.

Once atop the cliff, Matthias bolted into the tower, running straight into the smaller circle in the mark of Diitto and beginning to scan each of the points for a flash of the trees that made up the sylvan sector. A few moments later, Valentina timidly crept into the tower, making a point to stand normally as she looked around, eyes wide with awe.

"This is a waytower," Matthias said, finding the point that led to the sylvan region. He stood before it with his arms outstretched as he had first seen Ulrich do the day before when they had switched sectors. "Follow me." Without a second glance at the American girl, Matthias leaned forward, plummeting into the stream of white panels and coding. A tickling sensation greeted him as he landed upright in a second waytower. Spinning, Matthias turned just in time to see Valentina appear in the star point next to him. She looked beyond confused.

"Follow me, we have to go get Odd," Matthias said, hurrying from the tower. The sylvan region was just as he remembered it. He found himself in a familiar area - the arctic sector had sent him to the waytower he had used the previous day. That meant that the tower where Odd's digital essence was taking refuge in was north of his present position.

"What do I have to do?" Valentina asked, dropping onto her paws as she ran alongside Matthias.

"I assume you just need to get close enough to the tower for Odd to see you, and then hope you share enough DNA to allow him to jump inside you for safety reasons," Matthias mused, not really sure if he was telling Valentina the right thing. Surprisingly, he found he didn't care all that much.

The look on Valentina's face betrayed the fact that she hadn't caught much of what Matthias had told her - another thing Matthias found that he didn't actually care about. He watched as the tower that had been just beyond the clearing he'd originally been virtualized in appeared, growing in size as he approached. Finally, when the tower was no more than one hundred feet away, Matthias slowed and held out his hand to signal Valentina to the same.

In the distance, two of the strangest monsters, creatures Matthias couldn't even think of a name for, were each balanced on one . . . knee, perhaps . . . while shooting at the tower. The smooth, spidery look of the monsters made him very conscious of the fact that he only had sixty life points remaining.

"Mrs. Belpois?"

"Yes, Matthias?"

"The two monsters guarding the tower are unfamiliar to me. And they don't look as if they could be charged. How close to the tower does Valentina have to be?"

"Close enough for Odd to sense her presence, I assume," Aelita replied. "Can you describe the monsters to me?" she then asked.

"Err . . . they are sitting on their knees and shooting lasers with their arms. They look like they are covered in smooth metal."

"Hmm . . ." Aelita paused, and Matthias counted the seconds until she spoke again. "I think the monsters by the tower are tarantulas, but I cannot be sure without a visual. Be careful - those creatures always gave us the most trouble in the past."

"Great . . ." muttered Matthias. "How close is Franz to deactivating the tower? Since Xana has no connection to Diitto's systems, won't his monsters disappear as soon as the energy he gets from the power is cut?"

"They will disappear when he deactivates the tower, but Franz and the others have twenty hornets to contend with at the moment. They are still nowhere near the tower."

Letting out a groan, Matthias turned to address Valentina. "You need to get as close to the tower as you can," he said, speaking slowly and making a point to fully pronounce each word so that she had a chance of understanding his French. "But those tarantulas are dangerous. Do not let them hit you with their lasers. I'm going to try and distract them while you run. Do you understand me?"

"For only taking French for sixteen months, I think I'm doing pretty well," Valentina said, smirking. She glanced at the tarantulas, then lifted a paw and unsheathed and sheathed her claws. "Should I give you a head start?"

Not bothering to answer, Matthias bolted, holding out his sword and charging the tarantulas. He made twenty feet before they noticed him, rotated, and then began to fire. Instantly Matthias was hit, but then he managed to block the next half a dozen lasers fired at him with his sword.

"Be careful, Matthias! You only have thirty life points left! One more hit and you will be de-virtualized!"

"I know!" Matthias hissed, slowly making his way forward while he continued to block the tarantula's lasers with his sword. "Valentina, get going!" he called, glancing back and seeing the girl was exactly where he had left her.

Valentina seemed to squeak and then began to move. Matthias looked away to focus on the tarantulas once more, struggling to think of a way to attack from a distance. There was still a good fifty feet between him and the monsters. The only way he knew how to attack from a distance was with his electric snake, but to use that he needed something to carry the current . . .

Whirling in place, Matthias sliced clean through the nearest tree. He kicked it with one foot, ensuring it fell in the direction of the tower, and watched as it fell to the forest floor with a deafening crash. Matthias then jumped into the air, raising his sword and shouting "Electric snake!" moments before landing and striking the trunk of the fallen tree with his sword. As expected, a snake launched from his weapon, one side dying instantly as it hit the edge of the tree while the other side gathered speed, formed the head of a snake, and wound its way along the tree in the direction of the tower. It struck one of the tarantulas, jumping from the tree to the monster when it was close enough, but the creature did not de-virtualize.

"Damn, no!" Matthias said, quickly raising his sword to begin deflecting the resumed volley of attacks. One laser narrowly missed the side of his head. He had no idea where Valentina was, but hoped that Aelita would say something if she successfully managed to rescue Odd.

Then, one of the monsters exploded. Bewildered, Matthias looked around and saw that Valentina was directly facing the remaining monster. "Ice ray!" she said in English, keeping her mouth open as a beam of ice similar to what the blocks had been shooting earlier flew in the direction of the second tarantula. She hit it, but it did not de-virtualize, not already being weakened. But, it did stop firing at Matthias as it turned to face the American girl . . .

"No - Valentina, run! Leave the tarantula - go rescue Odd!"

Valentina moved immediately, darting away from the creature and heading in the direction of the tower. Matthias charged the tarantula, screaming as loud as he could with the attention of drawing its attention. For the most part, his tactic worked. The tarantula turned to face him, and began to shoot lasers in his direction once more. Matthias began to block the volley, out of the corner of his eye watching as Valentina made it to the side of the tower. A small, glowing ball of light emerged, streaking toward her-

A laser hit Matthias, and as he was shot backwards and his feet became nothing more than white panels, he watched the ball of light fuse with Valentina.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The next update will be on the 6th, and then I'll have to take another little break to wrap up Part 3. (I'm writing as much as I can - don't hate me! There's only so much free time a girl has between her college homework assignments!)


	12. Part 2, Section 5: Kokoro

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Two: **

**Frantic Scurrying

* * *

**

**Kokoro (Section 2.5)**

After breaking away from the others, Kokoro did her best to distract the eagles. She quickly found a few rocks and managed to hit one of them, effectively drawing their attention away from Franz, Matthias, Katja, and Valentina so that they could escape into the forest. However, that left Kokoro with three eagles bent on ripping the flesh off of her skin. As they began to skydive, sharp talons and beaks gleaming, Kokoro, swearing violently, began to run back in the direction of the school.

She passed a couple other students in the courtyard by the dormitory. A pair of young girls screamed, while a boy shouted something at her. Kokoro ignored all of them, frantically thinking of a way to trick the eagles so that they would fly away - or at least leave the vicinity of the school. She doubted that the birds would leave altogether until Franz managed to deactivate the tower.

Sliding into the alley behind the cafeteria, Kokoro paused to rest, leaning over and placing her hands on her jeans. She had, at least, succeeded in drawing the eagles away from the others. Franz would soon deactivate the tower, and by then Waldo, the genius little brat, would have fixed the return to the past program. The others would launch it, and then nobody would remember her running across campus being chased by eagles. Thank goodness - Kokoro managed to do enough embarrassing, stupid things on a weekly basis without Xana's help.

An eagle cried, and Kokoro looked skyward just in time to block her face with her arm. The bird dug into her flesh with its talons. Kokoro let out a shriek of pain, then spun the large creature into the side of the building, stunning it with the impact. It released her bleeding arm and she ran, cursing, from the alley.

"At least they are only following me," Kokoro mused to herself, gritting her teeth against the pain of her arm.

She reached the academic buildings and stopped briefly to take in her surroundings. There were a _lot_ of other students hanging around the courtyard there, and in the distance a group of boys had begun a soccer game on the field. Kokoro could have easily ducked into one of the buildings and used a wall of glass and brick to save herself, but that wasn't worth the risk of the eagles going after the other children at Kadic. Instead, Kokoro hung close to the science and mathematics building, glancing over her shoulder just in time to see that the eagles were flying after her. Again, the students closest to her shouted and pointed; Kokoro continued to ignore their cries.

"Stern! What on earth are you doing?"

The Kadic Academy grounds keeper, a middle-aged man with darkened skin, slightly messy hair, and a permanently neutral expression named Jules Chorter, appeared before Kokoro in the blink of an eye. She twisted to avoid crashing into him, instead tripping onto the dirt. The wounds on her arm began to sting as she struggled to her feet.

"Those eagles are attacking me, sir! Sorry, but I have to go-"

"The only place you're going is to the principal's office!" sneered Chorter, reaching out and grabbing Kokoro by the shoulder. He then seemed to notice that she bleeding. "And we'll stop by the infirmary on the way there-"

While Chorter had spoken, the eagles reached him and Kokoro. One dived, reaching for the man with its sharp talons, while the other circled overhead screeching. The grounds keeper reached for his whistle and blew. Kokoro (and everyone else in the surrounding area) flinched at the harsh sound that instantly overwhelmed them. But the eagles retreated, taking to circling the buildings from high above. Kokoro watched in awe - _had the whistle broken Xana's spell?_

"Stern, I'm not sure what you did to antagonize those birds-"

"I didn't antagonize them! They attacked me!"

"Yeah, and I'm secretly a Russian spy," Chorter spat, beginning to drag Kokoro across the courtyard back in the direction of the infirmary. Kokoro rubbed her forehead, feeling herself shake out of embarrassment. _The little brat better have found a way to fix the return to the past program . . ._

Chorter saw that the academy's nurse cleaned Kokoro's arm and bandaged it before roughly grabbing her shoulder again and forcing her to the principal's office. Kokoro didn't bother to say anything in her defense as she was told to sit in one of the chairs outside Principal Delmas's office. Chorter sat next to her, humming as he looked at one of the magazines that Delmas's secretary had left on the table nearby. The seconds ticked past, and Kokoro went over the conversation she and the others had in the stairwell earlier, when Franz had mentioned the return to the past program. Waldo had intended to meet up with the others after fixing it - had he managed to do so yet?

Kokoro's cell phone buzzed once in her pocket, and she quickly clasped her hand over her side to keep Chorter from noticing. Swiftly, she pulled her mobile from her pocket and checked the message that had been sent to her.

'_Tower deactivated. We'll be back at school shortly.' - Katja_

"What?" Kokoro hissed, alarmed. There was to be no return to the past? She thought Waldo had intended to fix the program and then meet up with those at the bunker to implement it! Without a return to the past she would be the girl who was being chased across the school by eagles for _weeks_!

"Hey, give that to me!" said Chorter, taking Kokoro's cell phone from her as the door to the principal's office opened. Mr. Delmas, an old man with graying hair, a mustache, and a beard that seemed more distinguished than messy (though what Kokoro's opinion of it was changed with her mood) appeared in the doorway.

"Miss Stern, please come into my office now," said Delmas, waving Kokoro into the room with his arm.

Chorter stood and leered at Kokoro until she did the same. Miserably, she sat in the chair that faced his desk, eyes impassive as she stared into the distance. It was always easier to shut her emotions down than to face them.

"Jules, you can leave that and then go," Delmas said, referencing the cell phone in the grounds keeper's hand. Chorter hesitated, but then consented to place Kokoro's cell phone on Delmas's desk before leaving his office. Kokoro couldn't help but relax a little bit as he did. Without Mr. Unreasonable breathing down her neck she would surely be able to make Delmas see that she had not done anything wrong.

"Mr. Chorter claims that you were antagonizing some eagles, Stern," began Delmas. "Is this true?"

"They attacked _me_!" stressed Kokoro, holding up her bandaged right arm. "I didn't do anything to antagonize them. I was walking near the woods when they appeared and began to attack me."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Delmas. "I've never known eagles to attack humans without warning before."

The phrase 'Well, now you do' was transformed into silence as Kokoro struggled to keep her sarcasm in check. She hung her head, rubbing her bandaged arm with her other hand. "Really, sir, I didn't do anything. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was not my intention to end up with an arm injury the day before school starts. Now I'm going to have to wait for it to heal before I can do pencak silat again . . ."

The pity boat appeared to be floating. Delmas's eyes seemed to soften and he motioned Kokoro to stand with one hand. She did, grasping her cell phone as he spoke.

"I'll trust that you're telling the truth this time, Stern," he said. "Now go back to your dormitory . . . wait, aren't you a day student? What are you doing here? Day students aren't required to come before dinner later this evening . . ."

"I-" Kokoro paused to think. The truth, slightly twisted, was always the best lie. "-was here to move in my dad's friend's niece," she explained. "Perhaps you remember a student named Odd Della Robbia from my dad's year, Mr. Delmas? His niece is a grade below me."

Delmas's eyes seemed to flash with an emotion that Kokoro didn't catch. He silently waved her from the room with one hand as he leaned his head against the other, beginning to rub his forehead. Kokoro moved quickly, not wanting to deal with any more questions. Though it had, to some extent, amused her to find that mentioning her father and Odd in the same sentence had succeeded to silence the principal.

"Matthias can cause the next diversion," she muttered as she made it out of the administration building. Scanning the area, Kokoro watched a trio of eighth graders, whom she believed to be named Stéphane, Isaac, and Marthe, point, snickering. Looking away, Kokoro hurried across Kadic's campus in the direction of the dormitories. She let herself into J.P. and climbed the stairs to the second floor, looking around.

"Okay, where's Waldo?" she grunted, beginning to walk down the long hallway.

"Kokoro?"

Kokoro saw the smallest Belpois emerge from one of the single rooms, holding a cup. He went to the water fountain to fill it as Kokoro moved to his side. She grabbed him by the head, gently though firmly jerking it so that he was forced to look at her.

"So, am I right in assuming that you were unable to get the return to the past to work?" she asked.

Waldo's green eyes betrayed a mixture of fear and confusion. "Uh . . . you are correct. It's really buggy, because after I caught the first coding alteration I noticed a chain of others . . ."

"Does that mean I'm going to have to let this heal naturally?" Kokoro asked, showing Waldo the bandages on her arm as she released him from her grasp.

"Wow, what happened?"

"An eagle tried to abduct me," Kokoro mused, voice bright with sarcasm. She turned to hit her head on the wall.

"Kokoro, Waldo!"

Franz, Matthias, Valentina, and Katja emerged from the stairwell at the end of the hallway. Katja quickly moved to Kokoro's side, gingerly reaching out to touch her sister's bandage while Franz moved over to his brother and spoke.

"How bad is the program?"

"It's pretty bad. Xana spent the past few decades working on everything he would need to effectively mess us up. In addition to what we already know from yesterday - how he made a code with our parents' DNA to keep them from accessing the core sector, how he came up with a way to summon monsters on Diitto and draw energy from and activate towers from Dad's supercomputer - he also managed to thoroughly distort the return to the past. In fact, if we tried to use it, I think we'd end up freezing time."

"Say what?" Matthias asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What," Waldo said hesitantly. He then looked suspiciously up and down the hallway before moving back in the direction of his room, beckoning the others to follow. Kokoro followed everyone else into the sixth grader's room, leaning up against the door after closing it behind her. Franz had moved to stand behind Waldo's computer chair while Katja, Valentina and Matthias had taken seats on the edge of the boy's neatly made bed.

"See this?" Waldo said, pointing at his computer screen. Franz began to scan the wall of coding. "This one line gives way to a string of other errors. I ran a few simulations earlier, and came up with my earlier hypothesis. Launching a return to the past from Diitto's computer will freeze time itself."

"But why?" Katja asked. "Why would Xana try and freeze time - what would that accomplish? Wouldn't he also be frozen . . . ?"

"I'm not sure," Waldo said. "But I don't really want to experiment . . ."

"Let's not experiment with freezing ourselves," Matthias suggested.

"Agreed, but I think that we should fix this program as soon as we can . . . or at least try . . ." Waldo added as an afterthought. He turned to his brother. "What do you think? I've been looking at this since I moved in - I think that I _could_ fix it, but it would take a lot of time. A lot of trial and error . . ."

Franz took another look at the screen. Kokoro saw his eyes narrow and soften as he seemed to gaze beyond the computer to lose himself in his thoughts. Though she had known Franz all of her life, spent nearly all of her childhood with him, she realized that she barely knew him at all. A week ago, Franz wouldn't have softened his eyes in thought - much less allowed anyone else to see him reveal such worry in his expression. A week ago, Kokoro would never have considered running across campus to distract a flock of rabid eagles. Doing so would have been against her very nature. It was amazing how so much had changed in a span of two days.

"There is one thing that might help the process along," Franz said finally, turning back to face everyone. His face was bright once more, Franz-like, eyes narrowed in a way that betrayed his reckless, somewhat elitist nature. The Franz Kokoro knew had returned. "Lyoko. The Lyoko supercomputer will have its own return to the past program embedded within. If we can get a copy then we can easily make repairs to Diitto's program using Lyoko's as a reference."

Waldo's eyes brightened, and he stood beside his brother. Franz was a good three or four inches taller than him. "That's a great idea!" Waldo exclaimed. "That would make the process go so much faster-"

"You're forgetting something - your dad disabled Lyoko years ago after taking what he needed for Diitto. We can't turn it on anymore just by flipping the switch."

"I'm sure my mom knows how to activate it again," Franz said, brushing Matthias's concerns aside as if they meant nothing. "I'll go ask her right now. Who else wants to come with me to the factory afterwards?"

"Oh, gosh, not today, Franz," Katja said, standing and making her way toward the door. Kokoro moved aside so that she could open it. "One virtual world per day is enough for me."

"We wouldn't actually _go_ to Lyoko-"

"She's got a point," Kokoro added quickly, gently fingering the bandages along her right arm. "One adventure per day, please. Per three days if possible."

Franz blew a raspberry and put his hands in his pockets. "Fine, then I'll go to the factory tomorrow night. I'll sneak out. Who wants to come with me _then_?"

Waldo raised his hand and Matthias muttered that he would go. Valentina seemed hesitant to respond, perhaps because she didn't fully understand what everyone was talking about, but mirrored Waldo by raising her hand as well. Kokoro remained silent, not ready to volunteer for another adventure. She was quite for limiting the dangerous adventures to one per three days - one per week would be even better.

"I think I'll pass," Katja said. Her voice was somewhat meek. Kokoro knew that her sister liked to please people, and that it was often hard for her to say no in certain situations. "If you are just going to extract some coding there is no need for all six of us to go anyway. Right, Sis?"

Kokoro nodded. "Right."

Franz shrugged. "Okay, as you wish," he said. Glancing at his watch, he pulled out his cell phone and began to dial a number as he hurried from the room. Katja followed, and Kokoro hurried to match her sister's pace, barely remembering to wave goodbye to those who had been left in Waldo's room. She didn't get a response from anyone.

Everyone else was already exhausted, too, and the battle had only just begun.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Aaaannnd that is Part 2! You all, my wonderful, wonderful readers, enjoyed it, right? I know I did say I wouldn't nag, but I really do love you reviews and hope that you'll drop a few words about what you think of the story thus far? Anything you'd like to see me develop? Who's your favorite character? What do you love or hate about my plot or characters? Who would you like to see paired? Really, the reviews I get for this story are all appreciated and cherished. I read them all multiple times. I cannot say "Thank you" enough for each and every one.

Now, I have finals next week, so I cannot say for sure when I'll have Part 3 complete and edited for posting. However, I'll say that there is a good chance I've died if I don't upload the next section by the 20th of December. I don't think you all will have to wait nearly that long, though. The good news is that after I begin posting again I will have started winter break - so I'll have an entire month to write and post! ~ _Lav_


	13. Just Another Day at Kadic

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Three: **

**Just Another Day at Kadic

* * *

**

**Author's Note: **Hello again! I'm definitely not dead (though my finals might have made a part of me die on the inside) and have the next section of _Code Lyoko: The Diitto Generation_ ready. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews over the past week or so. Before I the story I'd just like to clarify the passage about Franz's name that appears in this section. Apparently the English cartoon mispronounces the name 'Franz.' A friend of mine pointed out that I was saying the name wrong, and I was saying it the same way that the characters on Code Lyoko did. The name passage is my attempt to correct my (and other people's) pronunciation of the name. Then again, a name is a name and I might be making way too much of a fuss over this trivial fact my friend brought up when she might actually be the one mispronouncing it. –shrugs-

**

* * *

Franz (Section 3.1)**

Franz had often admitted privately that he and Waldo had a very unique relationship as brothers. They got along well enough, but were constantly picking at one another in little (though innocent) ways. One would tie the other's shoelaces together, and the other would retaliate by inverting the colors on their brother's computer. Yet if one was feeling down for some reason, be it from sickness or from having a bad day, the other (usually) made a point to cheer them up. But, even though they knew one another well enough to (usually) predict their moods, Franz and Waldo were not that close. They got along because they lived in the same house and had the same parents.

"Wake up, fruitcake!"

Something hard hit Franz's middle. He woke instantly, shooting into a sitting position and gasping for the breath that had been knocked out of him. Angrily, Franz reared upon Matthias, throwing the book that the other boy had woken him with onto the floor. Of all the obnoxious ways Waldo had woken him in the past, he had _never_ thrown a heavy book at him.

"Dude, what the hell did you do that for?" Franz asked, standing. He glared at Matthias, painfully aware that the other boy was quite tall - already 5'7" at the age of thirteen. Franz was just over 5'1" tall, meaning that Matthias was a good half a foot taller than him. His father hadn't been that short, so Franz had always silently rued being so small. Waldo wasn't much better off, but he was taller than Franz had been at the age of eleven. Even Katja and Kokoro were a good three inches taller than him, and they were only a year older and girls.

"Your alarm didn't wake you up, so I thought I'd be a dear and make sure you got to breakfast on time," Matthias mused, grinning cruelly down upon Franz. He then turned away and proceeded to change out of his pajamas. Franz decided against engaging the other boy, instead changing from his pajamas into a pair of jeans and a green shirt. He was searching through his drawer for a pair of socks when Matthias finished tying his shoes and moved to stand by the door.

"Remember, our schedules are being distributed at breakfast today. Should I wait for you so that I can walk you to the cafeteria, or do you know the way?"

"I know the way, jerk!" Franz snapped, leering at Matthias. The other boy disappeared from the room, slamming the door behind him. Startled by the sound, Franz backed into the edge of his bed and cursed vividly.

"I suppose I should be thankful he was decent to me yesterday," Franz muttered under his breath as he finally pulled on his socks. The following day, after calling his mother and learning how to reactivate Lyoko (Aelita agreed that it would be worth a shot to do so for a chance at the original return to the past program and even jokingly gave him her permission to sneak out of Kadic that night) Franz had returned to his room to find that Matthias was not there. The other boy hadn't reappeared until after dinner, and neither had spoken to the other from that point onward. Franz had even briefly wondered if living with Matthias would not be so bad after all. He'd been wrong.

When he was ready, Franz made his way to the cafeteria. It was just after 7:00 am, so breakfast had only just begun. He let himself into the building and entered the breakfast line. The girl before him had a large amount of blonde hair tied in a loose bun and wore a white and black shawl over a violet sundress that cut off at her knees. Franz didn't recognize her until she turned around and offered a sleepy smile.

"Good morning, Franz," Valentina yawned, covering her mouth a moment too late. "Wow, I am still like eight hours behind everyone else . . ."

"Err, it's actually Franz," Franz mumbled under his breath. Valentina's accent didn't allow for the correct pronunciation of his name. "Fra-_ahn_-zz. Not Fra-an-zz. The sound in the middle is softer."

"Oh, I am sorry, Franz," Valentina said, hastily correcting her mistake.

"Eh, don't worry about it too much. Matthias mispronounces it wrong on purpose most of the time. I'm used to it."

Valentina made a tut-tutting sound. "Now, that is not very nice. Why does he do that?"

Franz blinked at Valentina, noticing that she was about two inches shorter than him. "Because he's a jerk?" he said at last. The two children moved a few steps forward in line.

"I see. And why do you room with a jerk?" Valentina asked. Franz couldn't tell if she was humoring him with feigned curiosity or if she really did want to know why he and Matthias were roommates. Though he was sure he would regret it later, he decided to trust that Valentina, unlike so many others at Kadic, didn't aim to make him miserable. Since Diitto tied them together now it would do them both good to trust one another.

"My mom made me. She says it'll be easier that way because of . . ."

Franz trailed, acutely aware of the students standing before Valentina and behind him in the breakfast line. The American girl nodded slightly to show that she understood.

"You have pretty good French," Franz remarked after a moment. "Originally I was a bit worried I that there would be a serious language barrier. I'm not the best English student. Katja is really the only one out of us all that can have a decent conversation in English."

"You did well yesterday," Valentina said. "And thank you. A part of me is actually happy that I was forced to learn it."

"Well, when I spoke in English, I had to think of what I was saying before hand. I can only speak in French and Japanese without thinking. Err, does that make sense?" asked Franz.

"Yes," Valentina replied. "I am the same way with English and Russian – that is my father's native language. I can say certain things in French, especially if I think of what I intend to say beforehand - but I have always been better at understanding than speaking. Do not get me started on my writing; I cannot spell in _any_ language . . ."

"I've never had a problem with spelling. I'll help you if you need help," said Franz, smiling.

Valentina grinned. "That would be nice," she mused before turning to the cafeteria worker that was ladling out oatmeal. She and Franz made it through the breakfast line, with Valentina, to Franz's private delight, waiting at the front of the room an extra moment so that she and Franz could easily sit together. They quickly found an empty table to one side of the room. Franz had always liked sitting on the edge of the lunchroom. It was slightly safer than sitting in the middle.

"Valentina, if you don't mind me asking, why did your parents send you halfway around the world to boarding school?" Franz asked after taking a few bites of oatmeal.

Shrugging, Valentina took a sip of cranberry juice. "They think I am hyperactive, incorrigible, and mean-spirited. Why are you a boarder when you live so close to the school?" the girl asked in response, barely allowing Franz time to absorb her answer by throwing his own question back at him.

"I'm hyperactive, impulsive, and drove my parents insane. But I'm also sure that they're only really making me board so that I get the same Kadic experience that they did. Both of my parents were boarders, too." Franz knew that Katja had made a point to sit with Valentina at dinner the previous night and fill her in on everything that she herself knew about Diitto so as not to leave the foreigner in the dark about anything. Therefore Valentina understood why he quieted at the mention of his parents, and thus his missing father. But, something within Franz forced him to quickly expel the bad thoughts from his head. Girls were not impressed by sadness.

"Anyway," Franz continued, making a point to grin at Valentina to show that he was toying with her. "You don't seem incorrigible and mean-spirited. Your parents seem a bit off the wall, thinking that of their daughter."

Valentina blew a raspberry. "Oh, please," she began. "I am half asleep right now. When I am awake I am much more fun to be around, trust me."

Before Franz could say another word, the seat beside him shifted. Waldo sat down and placed his breakfast tray on the table, yawning. He then looked around the cafeteria.

"Huh, Nancy isn't here yet," he commented. "Who is Matthias sitting with?" he asked a moment later.

Franz followed his brother's gaze. "Stéphane, Isaac, and Chad. Avoid them all if possible."

Waldo turned back to his brother. "Why should I avoid them? You said the same thing to me yesterday when we were waiting in line."

Sometimes, Waldo's naiveness really irked Franz. "You should avoid them because they will undoubtedly have the time of their live making your life a living hell simply because you are my brother." Franz made a point not to meet Valentina's gaze as he spoke.

"What did you do to them?" Waldo asked.

Franz wanted to punch his brother in the nose - possibly take a trick from Matthias's box and throw a book at his stomach. "I didn't do anything. I'm just about ten times smarter than all of them combined so they make fun of me."

Valentina muttered something under her breath. Franz thought it was the word 'Assholes' in English, though he was not certain. He made a point to focus on his oatmeal, looking up only when Nancy and an Indian girl with short hair sat on either side of Valentina.

"Good morning," Nancy said sweetly. Her curly red hair had been pulled into two ponytails on either side of her head. "Chakori, this is Franz. He's Waldo's brother. Waldo - you met him yesterday. And you must be Valentina, right?"

"Yes, I must be," Valentina said. "And you are . . . ?"

"Oh, that's Nancy - Matthias's little sister," Franz said quickly. "She was busy yesterday." Franz met Valentina's eyes, trying to silently stress the fact that they were not to mention anything Diitto-related while Nancy's roommate was around, before switching his gaze to Chakori. "Nice to meet you, Chakori."

Chakori smiled timidly and began to stir a packet of brown sugar into her oatmeal. As he continued to eat, Franz noticed Valentina glance at Nancy once more and then across the cafeteria at Matthias. She was probably wondering how two people who looked nothing alike could be siblings. The two had the same dark eyes, both having inherited them from their father, but other than that they resembled completely their same-gender parent.

"Why did you not sit with your brother . . . ?"

As Valentina had stopped yawning, Franz noticed that her tone had become increasingly more brazen, borderline rude. For a moment, he could understand why she claimed her parents thought she was mean-spirited. Then Nancy spoke, interrupting his thoughts.

"Because Matthias's a jerk."

Valentina seemed to role her eyes. "You guys seem to have judged the poor kid too quickly."

"No we didn't," Franz countered

"I live with him. He _is_ a jerk," Nancy muttered.

"When I met him yesterday, he seemed perfectly nice," Valentina defended. "In fact, I bet that if I went over there and-"

Clapping meant to grab the attention of everyone in the cafeteria interrupted Valentina mid-sentence. Franz felt his heartbeat quicken, thankful that the principal had entered the room with the stack of student schedules so that he could distribute them during the rest of the meal. Valentina turned to listen to his little speech, something about how an education was the most important thing one could ever obtain, as Franz mentally completed her sentence. Valentina had been considering crossing the cafeteria to go and sit with Matthias and his friends! While he knew he couldn't stop her if she tried to befriend the other boy, a part of Franz wanted Valentina to develop the same disdain for Matthias that he had. Otherwise she would undoubtedly become just another person to make intelligence jokes about him behind his back.

When Delmas had finished speaking, Waldo turned to Nancy. "There's a one in three chance of us being in the same class," he told her. He then turned to Chakori. "You and Nancy are guaranteed to be in the same class because you are roommates," he informed her.

"_Dammit_!" Franz groaned, hitting his head on the table. "That means I'm going to be in the same class as Matthias! No! I wanted a break from him this year! Dammit dammit da-"

"That's quite enough, Belpois."

When Franz lifted his head, he saw that Delmas was standing at the end of the table, fingering through the pile of schedules. Somehow, the soft sound of Valentina's stifled snickers negated the fact that the principal had just caught him cursing in school - something the teachers at Kadic always made a point to stamp out of their students. Franz opened his mouth to defend himself, but instead Delmas spoke.

"Since it is only the first day, I'm going to ignore what I just heard and let your language slide. I believe that you might be hanging around Kokoro Stern too much. Anyway, here is your schedule." Delmas handed a piece of paper to Franz. "And yours, Belpois," he said, handing a second sheet to Waldo. "Dunbar, Henry, Kotov." The principal handed three more sheets to the girls seated at the table before moving away.

Allowing himself to fall victim to a brief moment of giddiness, Franz looked at his schedule. He was in class 8-B. His eyes wandered across the table, and a smile slowly carved his face as he saw that Valentina had been placed in the same class.

"A?" Waldo asked Nancy and Chakori. Chakori nodded, and Franz saw his brother smile a bit. If he recalled correctly, Waldo and Nancy weren't _that_ close. But it had been a few years since the Dunbars had been in town; maybe that separation had triggered a little infatuation in his brother when Nancy had returned? That would be fun to poke at.

Everyone finished eating and then began to walk back to the dormitories. The sixth graders entered the J.P. building, leaving Franz and Valentina to cross the courtyard and head to the Elizabeth dormitory. "I have to go to French as a second language first. I will see you in English later. I think that class will be a breeze."

"For you, maybe," Franz said. When he recognized that he was smiling, Franz wiped his face blank as he held the door for Valentina. They climbed into the elevator, and Valentina tapped the buttons for 3 and 4. Franz waved goodbye when he was dropped on his floor. He could not help looking back at the elevator after it had closed.

Franz could never remember wanting French to end faster. Usually he loved his classes, how academics came so naturally to him due to his magnificent memory. But he felt antsy that morning, and was more than happy to run down the stairs when French let out and claim a seat on the edge of the classroom toward the front of his English room. He managed to mask his elation as Valentina took the seat next to him, but his good feeling melted away as he caught sight of the worried look on her face.

"Whoa, what's wrong, Valentina?"

"_Them_," Valentina squeaked, nodding in the direction of the door. Two brown-haired girls had entered. One had hair that was shoulder-length, straight, while the other had a mess of long, flowing curls. She was fairly pretty, though the majority of her features were identical to the other girl's. Franz trailed the pair across the room, watched as they took seats in the back, and then turned back to Valentina.

"What's wrong with them? Aren't they some of the Hapaskys? Didn't Delmas say last night at dinner that there was a family of Russian exchange students at Kadic this year . . . ?"

"Yes, yes, they are some of those students," Valentina said hastily. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "But they are so . . . creepy. I just had French as a second language in Russian with them, and . . . they are just so . . . creepy."

Franz failed to see how the Russian girls could be defined as 'creepy.' Neither looked particularly so in his opinion. Figuring that he should try and calm Valentina by saying something, Franz opened his mouth-

He then choked as something hit the back of his head.

Acting fast, Franz grabbed the ball of paper that had struck him off the floor and then threw it back across the room. Stéphane was completely unprepared for his counterattack: the ball of paper hit him aside the head. Matthias, seated next to Stéphane in the back, grabbed a second piece of paper from his notebook and began to wad that up-

"Settle down, everyone."

Mrs. Johnson, an English teacher at Kadic Academy, had entered the room. One sweep with her hawk-like eyes told her everything that she needed to know. Though Franz was no English prodigy (language was the subject he found that he had to put some effort into mastering) Johnson liked him and was fairly sympathetic toward his never-ending battle with the group of boys in the back of the room.

"Dunbar, when you are fluent in English you'll have paper to waste in my class. Until then, I trust you'll need it for something or another - perhaps the vocabulary words I'm about to give you?"

Fighting back a chuckle, Franz got out his own sheet of paper. He was pleased that Valentina had also found the exchange between Matthias and Johnson to be highly amusing. Somehow, having class with Matthias did not seem like it was going to be nearly as bad this year as it had been in the past.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The next section will be up within two days. Enjoy!


	14. Part 3, Section 2: Waldo

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Three: **

**Just Another Day at Kadic

* * *

**

**Waldo (Section 3.2)**

He had _two_ of them in his class! As Waldo had taken a seat in history, he couldn't keep himself from staring at the pair of Russian girls seated in the front corner of the room. His teacher had introduced them at the beginning of class as Svetlana and Maria, explaining that they were not comfortable speaking much French yet and that they were exchange students who would be attending Kadic that year.

"Before I let you go, I have to have you all fill out slips indicating your preference for a foreign language this year," Mrs. Lisle said, holding up a pile of notecards. "In addition to English, you will all have to take a second foreign language. The choices this year are Italian, Russian, German, and Spanish. Please mark your top two choices on the notecard. Don't forget to put your name on it."

While waiting for his teacher to pass out the notecards, Waldo turned to Nancy. She was sitting at the neighboring desk beside Chakori. (A boy that Waldo didn't know had taken the seat beside Waldo. He had introduced himself as André.) "Hey, we are signing up for Russian, right?" he asked.

For some reason, Nancy's response was stiff. "I don't see why we have to. Valentina speaks better French than we thought she did, so we won't have too much of a problem understanding her. She'll be fluent in French before we have a chance to learn enough Russian to speak to her in that language."

"Oh . . ." Waldo muttered. He hadn't even remembered about choosing to take Russian for Valentina's sake. Instead, he had decided that he wanted to take Russian so that he could communicate with the Russian students. As an added bonus he might be able to say something to Valentina at some point. "Wait, so you aren't taking Russian?"

"No," said Nancy. She did not meet Waldo's gaze as she spoke. "I think I'd fancy taking Italian. My dad knows a bit of Italian . . ." she trailed, silently taking a notecard from Lisle as she passed.

A feeling of confusion crept through Waldo as he received his own notecard. Hastily, he wrote his name at the top, then wrote 'Russian' twice below. He didn't have an alternate to his first choice.

By lunch, Nancy still would not make eye contact with Waldo. When he entered the cafeteria, Waldo saw that she had already seated herself with Chakori and two other girls from their class - Nicole and Sylvie. A second scan of the room showed Maria and Svetlana sitting with their siblings and cousins at a table in the corner of the room. They were a very silent bunch, slowly eating their sandwiches.

Having nowhere else to sit again, Waldo took a seat beside Franz. This time, Katja and Kokoro were seated across from him while Valentina was on his brother's other side. Muttering a greeting, Waldo opened his carton of milk.

Franz, as always, was in a lively mood. "Well, that ended quickly," he said to Waldo. Turning slowly, Waldo shot Franz a blank, bewildered expression, then shook his head slowly and shifted his attention back to his meal. Part of the reason he had been looking forward to attending Kadic was so that he could see his brother more, but now he realized that seeing Franz more meant giving the older boy more opportunities to confuse him.

"Anyway," Franz turned back to the girls seated across from him. "Are you sure that you don't want to meet us at the factory tonight?"

"I just don't see the point," Katja said. Kokoro pointed to her sister, indicating that she had the same mindset.

"Aw, fine then. We'll just have to tell you what happened tomorrow at lunch," Franz said.

"Be careful sneaking out," said Katja, picking away at the remains of her sandwich. "Don't let Chorter catch you . . ."

"The evil gorilla seems to appear out of nowhere sometimes," Kokoro muttered. Waldo noticed that her arm was still covered in bandages. When she caught him staring at her injury a moment later, Kokoro put her arm under the table.

"Is Matthias still going with us?" Valentina asked, glancing across the cafeteria to where Matthias was sitting with his friends. Franz seemed to shrug.

"Don't know, and I don't really - crap, he's getting up . . ."

Waldo glanced across the cafeteria and saw Matthias, Stéphane, and Isaac making their way across the room. The trio was headed in the direction of his table. Waldo lowered his gaze, once again focusing on his sandwich. How had Franz made so many enemies over the past two years at Kadic, anyway? Come to think of it, he couldn't recall his brother speaking of befriending any of his classmates. He believed that Franz spent most of his free time at school either in his room or hanging out with Katja and Kokoro.

"Greetings, Belpoises, Sterns, and pretty stranger," Isaac said. He sat down in the empty seat beside Valentina. Waldo felt his brother stiffen beside him. Stéphane sat down beside Kokoro while Matthias sat down beside Waldo. He trusted that Matthias wouldn't do anything awful to him - then again, he'd only ever found himself around the other boy under the watchful eye of his mother. Aelita was not at school to protect him now.

"What do you know, moron brought tweedle dee and tweedle dumb to visit!" Kokoro said, sarcasm seeping from her falsely happy tone. "To what do we owe this honor?"

"We aren't here to visit you, Stern," Stéphane sneered. He glanced across the table at Valentina, smiling. "We came to introduce ourselves to the transfer student. I'm Stéphane Thomas."

"And I'm Isaac Desmarais," said Isaac, smiling at Valentina. "What's your name, pretty stranger?"

"Imanass," said Valentina. Waldo raised his eyebrow, unfamiliar with the sound that Valentina had just made. The word, if it was a word at all, was not French. Was it English or Russian?

"Imanass?" Isaac repeated, turning to Matthias. Katja began to snicker. "Hey, I thought you said her name was Valentina?"

"It is . . ." Matthias said, narrowing his eyes in annoyance. He seemed to have understood what Valentina had said. Noting that, Waldo instantly felt the need to understand the joke.

"What is so funny?" he asked in Japanese. He, Franz, Katja, and Kokoro had learned from Yumi as youngsters. They were all fluent; Katja and Kokoro being perfectly so while he and Franz had a few gaps in their vocabulary. But Waldo rarely spoke the language unless he didn't want someone in his presence - in this case, Matthias - to understand him.

"She said the equivalent of 'I am an ass' in English," Katja replied quickly in Japanese.

"But, she said Imanass?" Isaac said, turning back to Valentina. He appeared thoroughly confused by what was happening. Waldo figured he was not the smartest kid in the world.

"That I did," Valentina mused, eyes bright with mirth.

"But-"

"Anyway, Valentina, we also came over to say that you'll always be welcomed to sit with us sometime," Matthias said quickly. Once again, he was smiling, though his smile was forced. He wasn't able to smile at Valentina in the same way that his friends did. Maybe he had already formed a negative opinion of her for some reason or another?

"Yeah," Stéphane added. "When you realize the company here is a bit bland, feel free to sit with us instead. Our friend Catherine is fluent in English. She and Marthe would be glad to help you feel welcome here at Kadic. They live in room six on the third floor."

"Will do," Valentina said, her smile still hinting that she was highly amused by the situation around her.

Matthias, Isaac, and Stéphane stood. "Well, goodbye," Isaac said, having recovered from his initial confusion.

"Goodbye!" Valentina said. Once they were gone, she rolled her eyes and began to mindlessly pick at the orange peels on her plate. "What a pack of rats! They are all more see-through than glass." She turned to Kokoro. "And I changed my mind; you can have Matthias. Double the pairing fun-"

"What the hell? That wouldn't happen if we were the last two people in the world!" Kokoro hissed, instantly becoming aggressive as the amused smile vanished from her face.

"You are just making this more fun for me," Valentina said, voice radiating amusement.

"Anyway . . ." Franz muttered, turning to his brother. "You should meet us in the woods by the manhole at 10:00 tonight. We'll go to the factory from there. Did you ever get a chance to ask Nancy if she wanted to come?"

Waldo did not answer his brother's question right away. He had not asked Nancy about going to the factory to retrieve Lyoko's return to the past, but a strange feeling within him hinted that his classmate had no interest in sneaking out of her dormitory in the middle of the night anytime soon. Since class had begun, Nancy had been very distant. It was almost as if she was trying to ignore the fact that she was tied to the others that knew about Diitto and also had relatives trapped in the supercomputer. Waldo could not imagine why she would do such a thing.

"She's not coming tonight," Waldo replied before taking another bite of his sandwich.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This section is fairly short, so the next one will be up tomorrow. Enjoy!


	15. Part 3, Section 3: Ulrich

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Three: **

**Just Another Day at Kadic

* * *

**

**Author's Note: **I found something on my profile that will allow people to leave anonymous reviews and turned the function on. Just a heads up. :P

**

* * *

Ulrich (Section 3.3)**

Aelita did not answer her door immediately after Ulrich knocked. When she finally let him into the Hermitage, Ulrich saw that the pink-haired woman had not bothered to change out of her pajamas throughout the course of the day. Her hair was a bit messy, and the items strewn around the kitchen, where Aelita led him for a cup of coffee, betrayed the fact that Aelita hadn't cooked anything since she had dropped her kids and William's children off at Kadic – there was a half-empty box of crackers lying on the countertop, the trashcan was full of apple rinds and orange peels, and several empty nut containers sat in the corner where she and Jeremie piled the recyclables.

"Black, no sugar?" Aelita asked, knowing Ulrich's coffee preference by heart. "You look awful," she then added, reaching into one of the kitchen cabinets.

"Thanks, you look great as well. I was up until three last night making all of Odd's arrangements," Ulrich said simply. "He's set for a few months. The sister that lives near him-"

"Adele. Ulrich, I hope you got her name right-"

"Yes, I got her name right, Princess," Ulrich said, stifling a yawn. He needed the coffee that Aelita was making for him. "Anyway, that voice synthesizer works wonders. As Odd, I told her that I wanted to stay in the French countryside and try some painting for a while. She's going to watch his apartment and temporarily close his shop. It's not a long-term solution, but it'll work for now."

Having finished making Ulrich instant coffee, Aelita handed him his mug and taking a seat beside him at the table. "That's good. Today I called and told the university that Jeremie wanted to take a semester off for personal reasons. William on the other hand was so much harder to make disappear . . ."

"What did you go with in the end?" Ulrich asked.

"I had him quit his job." Aelita wove her fingertips into her hair and rested her elbows on the kitchen table. She looked years older than she really was. Ulrich doubted she had gotten much more sleep than he had over the last two nights. Between covering for Odd and worrying about Yumi, he had barely slept at all. In fact, after waking up Sunday morning and finding that the previous day had not been a nightmare, Ulrich had almost broken down. The only reason he had kept control over his emotions was for his children's sake. Katja and Kokoro had lost their mother just as he had lost his wife. If they could go to school, he could go to work.

It was a moment before Aelita continued. "It wasn't realistic to do anything else. I . . . I can't guarantee he'll be freed in a week or so. In fact, I can't really guarantee anything at the moment. So I had him quit his job and put his house up for rent. I'll handle everything related to that over the phone – including Jillian when she gets word. Ideally she won't ever notice William is gone and will be content with brief synthesized phone conversations. Matthias and Nancy agreed via text messages today to not mention anything about their father's sudden life changes to her, and since their parents live in completely different cities so there's practically no chance Jillian will notice that William has vanished. I hope . . ."

"William won't be happy to have strangers living in his house, but he doesn't really have a choice in the matter," Ulrich grumbled. He waited for Aelita to speak again, and then noticed her leaning slightly to the left. "Whoa, wake up Aelita!" Ulrich said quickly, steadying his friend. "How much sleep did you get last night?"

"Huh? Oh, I slept a little . . ." Aelita muttered, making a point to sit up a tad too straight.

Ulrich glanced at his half-finished coffee then offered what was left in his mug to Aelita. She drained the liquid in one gulp.

"You need to sleep, Aelita. You can't run off of coffee and crackers. You'll do more in the days where you eat properly and sleep enough than the days where you are nodding off and eating crackers and nuts," Ulrich said.

Aelita didn't say anything in response to Ulrich's statement. He took that as a good thing – that Aelita understood the logic in his words made it more likely that she would actually listen to them.

"What's your plan of attack?" Ulrich asked, both curious and feeling the need to confirm that Aelita did actually have a plan for freeing the people trapped in the supercomputer.

"I'm going to finish going through the entire system in search of Jeremie, Yumi, Odd, and William again," Aelita began, beginning to drum her fingers on the table. "I want to make sure that they aren't in the system before I give up on that altogether."

"I thought that Yumi, Odd, and William went into Kokoro, Valentina, and Matthias . . ."

"Their digital essences did. But that's just part of them – the other parts are still unaccounted for. Their digital essences, for lack of a better term, are their memories and minds. Jeremie severed what made Yumi, Odd, and William Yumi, Odd, and William from the part of them that Xana absorbed. I've been searching all of Diitto's system for the other parts of them, but so far I've found nothing. I fear that Xana somehow managed to take the missing parts out of the supercomputer. I hope not, because that will make them so much harder to save . . ."

"And what about Jeremie?" Ulrich asked.

"Oh, as of right now I have no idea what I'd do to bring him back – if there would be anything I could do at all. He's both everywhere in the Diitto computer and nowhere at all." Aelita began to rub her forehead. "Gah, I really am exhausted. I'd be able to give you a better explanation after I've had some rest."

"Actually, I have a feeling I would not follow that explanation as easily as I'm following this one," Ulrich said, hoping to force a smile from Aelita. He succeeded. "So, let's assume the worst and that you can't find any trace of Yumi, Odd, and William in Diitto's system. Then what?"

"Then I either try to code materialization programs and bodies for them or we hunt for Xana so that we can retrieve the data he stole from us – the data being the parts of Yumi, Odd, and William that I need to materialize them. And if I coded new bodies and materialization programs I would need to figure out how to put their digital essences back in their new bodies . . ."

"New bodies . . . ?" Ulrich asked, not really wanting Yumi to look any different than she had before heading to Diitto.

"They would look the same as they looked before the virtualization," explained Aelita. She stood to put the coffee mug in the kitchen sink, glancing back at Ulrich and holding up one hand to wiggle a single finger. "Oh, and while doing all of this, we will no doubt have to contend with multiple Xana attacks. Only this time we won't ever be able to go back in time with Diitto's computer."

"But Jeremie installed a return to the past, right . . . ?"

"Yes, he did," Aelita said, leaning on the countertop. Her facial expression was disbelief mixed with annoyance, but the tone of her voice was highly ironic. "My boys checked the program yesterday – all of the programs will have to be checked before they can be used because of what Xana did to the system upon entering it on Saturday – and found that it has been altered. If activated, the return to the past will freeze time itself."

Ulrich said nothing, barely able to grasp Aelita's words. She continued a moment later, beginning to pace the room.

"Franz came up with a good idea yesterday, though. He wants to briefly activate the computer component of Lyoko so that he can copy that system's return to the past and use it to fix Diitto's. I think he plans to sneak into the factory tonight and get that. My boys also plan to fix the program themselves – they know that I'm busy with this and are perfectly capable of fixing a broken program on their own. Also, I'm going to modify Jeremie's old superscan to pick up any activated towers on Diitto. There's no doubt in my mind that we will need it . . ."

"Good, you do that," Ulrich muttered. He still found it hard to believe that Xana had bugged up the return to the past program. According to Aelita, Xana had, using the data he had access to from Lyoko, made it so that none of the original Lyoko warriors could go to the unprotected core section without getting stuck there, made it so that he could activate towers from wherever he had been hiding over the past few decades, and learned how to turn the energy he got from the towers into monsters and disasters on Earth. Ulrich couldn't see a reason for Xana to mess with the return to the past, especially since it had made him stronger before. Then again, since Xana was not a part of Diitto as he had been with Lyoko, the return to the past probably would not strengthen him as it used to.

"When I moved her into Kadic, Nancy asked if it would be difficult for her to learn how to operate the supercomputer," Aelita began after a moment of silence. "I have a feeling that she doesn't exactly plan on going to Diitto with the rest of the children."

"Would it be possible for her to learn?" Ulrich asked. "As of right now, aren't you and your sons the only ones able to operate it. You three are also the only ones who can deactivate towers on Diitto, so if it's at all possible for Nancy to learn how to run the damn thing then by all means hand her the instruction manual." Ulrich paused, tightening his hand into a fist. "I hate to say it, but the kids will most likely be the ones risking their necks for most of . . . this. I work thirty minutes away from here – I _would_ volunteer to learn how to run the supercomputer, but since I doubt I'd ever end up back here in time to run it in case of an emergency there really is no point. Even though I don't like the idea, the kids will most likely be the ones deactivating most of the towers – and there _will_ be activated towers, I'm sure – because, well, it's not exactly hard to sneak out of Kadic and into the sewers . . ."

"I think Nancy would be able to learn the basics of running the supercomputer with a minimal amount of instruction," Aelita replied. "Saturday night she spent most of her time looking over Franz's shoulder. I hadn't realized the two got along. I expected her and Waldo to speak more."

Ulrich was silent. The coffee hadn't done anything in terms of waking him up. As soon as he got home he planned on collapsing on his bed and sleeping until he had to get up for work the next day . . .

"Katja may also have picked up an interest in running the supercomputer. She was the one monitoring the screens when we arrived at the bunker yesterday."

Ulrich chuckled a bit. "As her father, I'm fairly confident that she only remained behind to watch the monitors because there was nobody else to do so. Franz had to deactivate the tower, Valentina had to pick up Odd, and can you imagine Matthias sitting still and watching a computer screen?"

Aelita rolled her eyes. "No, I cannot."

Standing, Ulrich yawned and then glanced at his watch. "I should head out now. We can touch bases in a couple of days. Until then, promise me you'll adopt a regular sleeping schedule and eat better. I don't care if you're ordering delivery – just eat actual meals."

Ulrich turned and headed for the front door of the Hermitage. The creak of wooden floorboards told him that Aelita was following, so he stopped and turned to face her. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her green eyes were soft, rimmed with tears.

"Ulrich, what if I am unable to bring them back? I can't lose him . . . I lost my father to Xana, I can't lose Jeremie, too . . ."

A feeling of emptiness filled Ulrich. Every hour that he lived without Yumi was like an hour he was forced to sit in a pool of ice water; he understood completely the emotions that troubled Aelita.

"You'll be able to bring them back, Princess," Ulrich said softly. He reached out and hugged the woman before him, squeezing one of his oldest friends tightly to show her that he was there for her as she was there for him in their time of trouble. "Perhaps not tomorrow or the next day, but you _will_ bring them back. We _will_ destroy Xana for good this time, and then everything will return to normal again."

Ulrich moved away from Aelita again, keeping his hand on her shoulder for an extra moment before letting himself out the front door of the Hermitage. He climbed into his car, stuck his key in the ignition, and then started the engine and began to back slowly out of Aelita's driveway.

It was so easy to comfort another person with his words, and yet Ulrich was unable to comfort himself. Without Yumi he did not think he knew how to survive. If he wasn't able to get her back, he didn't want to think about what would happen to him.

* * *

**Author's Note:** There are three more sections in Part 3. I expect I'll have the next one ready two days from now. Until then, I hope you enjoy the story so far!


	16. Part 3, Section 4: Matthias

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Three: **

**Just Another Day at Kadic

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** This was, before I did my revisions of Parts 1 through 3 around New Year's, the first chapter where William's son was called Matthias. Beforehand he was known as Jacob, though I changed that after encountering several other Code Lyoko Fanfictions already using the name Jacob. This was to assure that nobody thinks that I am copying them, for my story and characters are all my own. However, Code Lyoko is owned by Moonscape if I recall.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's relatively long compared to some of the other sections of late, so I hope you like it.

**

* * *

Matthias (Section 3.4)**

Matthias and Franz had met Valentina in the back stairwell before creeping down to the ground floor of their dormitory. The students who lived in the Elizabeth building had a 10:00 pm lights-out policy on weekday nights – meaning that they were required to be in their rooms at that time presumably so that they could sleep. Even though it was still a few minutes before 10:00, Franz was adamant that nobody should see them leave the building. Matthias could see the other boy's logic – and yet at the same time he felt foolish creeping around his dormitory. They could have just taken the elevator down to the lobby and, had the desk attendant asked where they were going so close to lights-out, simply claimed that they wanted to run over to the vending machines (conveniently located beneath a slanted roof near the dormitories) for a late-night snack before bed.

But instead of doing that, Matthias was peering out of the stairwell, watching as the night desk attendant nodded off in his seat. Since Franz wanted to _sneak_ out of the dormitory, he also had to _sneak_ out of the dormitory like a sewer rat.

"He wouldn't notice if we left now – if we can get out without a sound then he won't have a reason to look across the lobby," Matthias said, moving from the window in the door that separated the stairwell from the lobby. Franz and Valentina nodded their understanding and, as Matthias expected, the blond boy took the lead by slowly wedging the stairwell door open. Valentina slid out into the lobby first, making a beeline for the hallway to one side of the room. The lobby was out of sight of the desk attendant, and it had a door leading outside at the end. Franz believed that would be the safest way in and out of the building – that they should take the stairwell in the center of the building down to the lobby for the sole purpose of escaping through the often forgotten hallway door. And because Franz thought it was a good idea, they had to act upon it, of course.

Matthias followed Valentina into the hallway, and Franz slowly closed the door behind him and trailed a few steps behind. As expected, the desk attendant did not notice three kids running across the side of the lobby. Night attendants were supposedly not that observant – they were just there in case of an emergency and to please the parents who liked to know there was someone that their children could run to in a crisis.

The trio moved outside in silence. The evening was cool, but not unbearably so. Matthias was fine in his T-shirt and jeans, but Valentina and Franz each wore a light jacket. Instinctively, Matthias headed in the direction of the manhole in the woods, not bothering to wait for confirmation from Franz or anything like that. The campus was dark and deserted, so he and the others were able to keep to the shadows and stay hidden without any problem. Matthias found it somewhat exhilarating to run around Kadic at night. He hadn't been one of those kids to fear the dark when he was little (very much unlike his sister.)

Valentina, on the other hand, seemed to jump at the littlest of sounds as she followed Franz into the woods. Matthias had decided earlier in the day that it wasn't worth the trouble to be nice to her. People were either friends with him or friends with Franz – the fruitcake had obviously taken a fancy to her, the way he seemed to be even more annoying than normal in her presence, so there wasn't a point in even trying to befriend her. That, and from what Matthias could gather Valentina didn't seem to be all that interesting. She was not attending Kadic by choice, and she was supposed to have a sharp tongue. He had tried to explain that to Isaac at lunch, but the sap was unable to understand that not all pretty girls were as entranced by him as he was with them. Somehow, Matthias felt that Valentina wouldn't fall easily for any guy at Kadic. The way she had introduced herself to Isaac had only confirmed that fact.

Suddenly, the sound of a rock song filled the forest. Cursing, Franz pulled his cell phone from his pocket and answered it, hissing, "What do you want?"

"Why didn't you put that thing on vibrate?" Matthias snapped, glancing hastily around the area. They were far enough away from the school that nobody would have heard Franz's mobile ring, but at the same time they could never be too careful.

"We are on our way, Waldo. I said 10:00, didn't I? Don't panic." Franz closed his cell phone and then slipped it back into his pocket. "I don't notice it ring when it's on vibrate," he said a moment later, answering Matthias's previously ignored question.

"How the hell do you not notice vibrations?" Matthias asked.

Franz did not answer, instead picking up the pace as he moved through the woods. A few moments later the group of three eighth graders moved into the clearing where the manhole leading into the sewers was. Waldo was sitting on the ground by it, staring at his glowing cell phone. He pocketed the device when Matthias and the others approached, standing to greet them.

"I left before 9:00 because that is when the people in my building are required to stay in their rooms," Waldo explained.

"You were sitting out here all alone for almost an hour?" Valentina asked, eyes wide with shock.

"I didn't sit here the whole time. I snuck into to the gymnasium to look for the passage that used to lead into the sewers several decades ago. It's gone for good, but on the way back I found something much better," Waldo said, barely able to conceal his grin. "The gymnasium and the dormitories are all linked by an underground passage. I have a hunch that one corridor will undoubtedly lead to the sewers – though I didn't explore yet. That would explain why the more visible passage disappeared around the time they built the new dormitory and made all those other big changes to Kadic."

"Are you sure about the passages?" Franz asked. "How did you find them?"

Waldo reached into his pocket and pulled out an ID card. He handed it to his brother. Franz took it, and Matthias glanced at the lettering on the printed side. It belonged to Jules Chorter.

"I found that today after dinner on the ground. It allows me to swipe to the basement of the gymnasium. From there I found the underground passage – I think the passages were created to hold pipes or something, because they are only about five feet tall and really narrow. But they'll be useful regardless."

Franz handed back the ID card to Waldo. "It wouldn't be too difficult to configure our own ID cards to swipe into the basement of the gym and the dormitories," the older boy said. "Want to work on that, since you found the ID card? When you get yours working you'd be able to borrow all of our IDs and give us basement access as well."

"I can do that," Waldo said, pocketing the ID card once more. "I'll probably just copy the data off this card tomorrow morning before returning it. Am I right in assuming that Chorter will like the student who returns his ID to him?" he asked cheekily.

"No," Matthias said bluntly as he reached down to move the manhole cover, becoming tired of all the talk. "He'd think you stole it." Not bothering to see the smaller Belpois's reaction, he climbed into the sewers. They were dark in the night, and Matthias briefly wondered if he'd be able to skateboard in almost complete darkness.

Stepping onto his board, Matthias began to ride in the direction of the factory. He knew the way there by heart, having traveled there from both Kadic and the Hermitage multiple times. However, nobody knew about the times when he had left school to visit the factory – those excursions had been his alone.

When Matthias reached the factory, he propped his skateboard on the sewer wall and then climbed onto the edge of the bridge leading into the abandoned building. While he wanted to go ahead, Matthias rationalized that Franz was the one who actually knew what they were doing at the factory that night and that it was wisest to wait for the other boy. He _always_ had to wait for Franz . . .

Waldo climbed out of the sewer a moment later, and a minute or so afterwards Valentina and finally Franz emerged. Matthias moved the manhole cover back over the hole in the ground and then trailed behind the others on their way across the bridge leading to the factory. Once they reached it, the group of kids climbed down the ladder that the original Lyoko warriors had placed where ropes from the ceiling had once hung.

As the kids crossed the gallery, Valentina eyes traveled what she could see of the factory. "Is this where Lyoko is?" she asked.

"The supercomputer is in the basement," Franz replied. He stepped into the old, rusty elevator that Matthias knew took them all the way down to the depths of the factory.

Valentina hesitated, but followed the others into the elevator. Franz sent it down, and it lurched before slowly beginning to move. After a moment it stopped, and Waldo stepped forward.

"You wanted me to get out here, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, and take Valentina with you. Matthias and I will go and disconnect the scanners from the supercomputer and then activate it, essentially only activating the controls. As soon as I flip the switch, be ready to switch the computer into the closest thing you can get to a preview mode. Think you can do that?" Franz added as an afterthought.

Waldo blinked at his brother, clearly annoyed. "Of course I can," he grunted, stepping off the elevator. Valentina hesitated before following. As Franz closed the elevator door again, Matthias heard the American form the first few words of a question.

"What do you need me for?" Matthias asked Franz.

"Unplugging things. You wanted to come, so you get to help," Franz replied, tone equally harsh.

"You aren't making Valentina help with this," Matthias pointed out.

"I don't want to risk her doing something she shouldn't. She understands French well enough, but I don't think she knows all the basic computer terms. She wouldn't know a base connector from a power cord."

Matthias briefly wondered if he would know the difference between a base connector and a power cord as the elevator stopped in the factory's scanner room. Franz immediately made his way to the closest of the three scanners and pointed. "Of the three cords leading into the scanners, we need to disconnect the data monitor and the connector. Under no circumstances can we disconnect a stabilizing cord – if one of those is unplugged when the supercomputer is activated the entire place will blow."

"Okay . . ." Matthias murmured, helping Franz to pull out the heavy cords. They moved to the second and third scanners, unplugging a total of six cords before Franz had Matthias stand beside one scanner.

"Now we have the tricky part. The circuit panel has to be rewired to nullify any power sent to the scanners. But the entire process has to be completed within a minute or so of touching the first wire. Don't have me explain why, it'll take too long."

"Whatever; what do I have to do?" Matthias asked, feeling impatient.

"Move the red wire to yellow, the yellow to blue, and the blue to black. That should nullify the power without causing any explosions," Franz said. "Now, on my mark. Whoever finishes first goes to the third and moves fast-"

"Wait, what do I do with the black wire if I'm supposed to replace it with the blue one?" Matthias asked hastily.

"Just let it hang off of the circuit panel. Ready. Start!"

Matthias hastily reached down, uncovered the circuit panel, and began to move the wires. He wasn't surprised to see Franz had already moved to the third scanner by the time he finished, and counted an additional ten seconds as the other boy moved wires around. When he finished, Franz headed wordlessly back to the elevator. Matthias followed him.

The dark-haired boy had been to the room where the supercomputer itself only once before. He had been seven at the time, and could remember Franz trying to turn on the supercomputer without success. At that time, he and Franz had gotten along fairly well. Soon after, Matthias had somehow fallen out of favor with Franz, Katja, and Kokoro. The visits with his family to the Sterns and the Belpoises had become chores, and to spite him their children had begun to speak solely in Japanese when he was around and none of their parents were.

"Hold on for a moment while I do some things . . ." Franz said, beginning to walk around the supercomputer after raising it from of the floor. Matthias watched as he squatted by a panel on the far side and began to play with whatever he found inside. "Actually, call Waldo now. He'll need to power up the monitor the second I activate this thing."

Matthias reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He had entered Waldo's number into it Saturday evening upon Aelita's prompt, also receiving Franz, Kokoro, Katja, and eventually Valentina's number. (Katja had distributed it to him and the others even though she had not yet been told about Diitto in case of an emergency, but the American had since had her mobile updated with the other Diitto warriors' numbers.) Calling, he held his phone up to his ear and waited for Waldo to answer.

"Is he ready yet?" Waldo asked.

"No, he's still messing with stuff," replied Matthias. "I'll say when . . ."

Once he had finished with whatever he was doing where he was, Franz moved to a second panel, then a third, and tampered with each of them in turn. After replacing the final panel, he moved back to the side of the supercomputer where Matthias was standing and exposed the on-off switch.

"Tell Waldo to get ready," he said to Matthias.

"Waldo, Franz says get ready," Matthias repeated.

Franz and Matthias locked eyes for a moment before Franz turned away and, in one quick motion, switched the supercomputer from off to on. The second he did so, Matthias said "It's on" and heard the sound of frantic typing on the other end of the phone until Waldo asked Valentina to take it away from his ear and turn it off for him.

"Let's go back up now," Franz said, moving back to the elevator. Matthias followed, and a few moments later the two boys made it back to the room where they had left Waldo and Valentina. Waldo was already leaning back in his chair, looking smug, while Valentina wore a slightly bewildered expression as she stared at the glowing computer screen.

"It's in no way connected to the scanners, the Internet, or even awake – but we can see all of the data files. Good enough of a preview mode?" Waldo asked.

"Yes, excellent," Franz said, moving to his brother's side. "Now we just have to find Lyoko's return to the past." Franz reached into his pocket, pulled out a flash drive, and plugged it into the computer monitor. He and Waldo glued their gazes to the screen.

At that point, Matthias wondered why he had even bothered to come to the factory. He was unable to help retrieve the old return to the past. Then he remembered that he wanted to be as involved as possible with the process that would eventually free his father. He was determined to reach a point where he would be more valuable than Franz – but to do that he would need to learn from the other boy.

"Who built this?"

Matthias's thoughts were interrupted by Valentina's question, posed at him since Franz and Waldo were otherwise occupied. Matthias hesitated, not wanting to bother with the American girl. Then he realized that he knew the answer to her question. If he could answer this question, and any future ones, wasn't he proving that he was just as knowledgeable about the supercomputers as Franz was?

"Aelita's father did," Matthias replied, looking down upon Valentina since she was fairly short.

"He also built the supercomputer?" queried Valentina.

"He built Lyoko – Jeremie, Franz and Waldo's father, built Diitto," replied Matthias. "Diitto is based off of Lyoko, though, hence its name."

"So Lyoko does not have a broken program? The – err – return to the past?"

"It shouldn't be broken. That's why those two are taking the pro-" Matthias stopped mid-sentence, reached forward, and shoved Valentina to the side as he watched a strange ghost-like shape crawl out of an electrical outlet and make a beeline for her. It hit him instead, but passed straight through his body. Matthias screamed, unprepared for the shocking pain the ghost-like thing brought him. Through the corner of his eye, he watched the entity enter the supercomputer; Franz was typing at the time. The supercomputer made a large popping sound, the screen went black, and a pair of electric currents looked as if they traveled the length of the blond boy's arms before vanishing. Franz dropped to the ground instantly. Simultaneously, Waldo scrambled out of the chair and took up a pose Matthias recognized as pencak silat – another thing that the Belpoises and Sterns knew and he didn't – and searched the room for whatever had just fried the Lyoko supercomputer and his brother.

"What was tha-"

"We have to get out of here!" Matthias said quickly, interrupting Valentina as he dragged himself to his feet despite the pain that still stung his insides. Matthias met Waldo's gaze. "I think there must be an activated tower on Diitto somewhere. That must have been a specter. Xana's attacking!"

"Then we need to get to Diitto as soon as possible," Waldo said, relaxing his stance as he glanced toward the ground. "But what about him . . . ?" he asked, referring to Franz.

"I'll carry him until he wakes up, because we need to leave _now_," Matthias stressed. His gaze shifted back to the outlet from where the specter had emerged. "Xana doesn't seem to want us to get the return to the past from Lyoko. He'll probably make it difficult for us to deactivate the tower as well – but hopefully with his slow-start we can at least get to the bunker before he does any real damage."

"Hopefully," Waldo said, glancing back at the supercomputer. It was still sparking in places. Matthias figured that it was completely fried and no longer usable. He hurried to the computer's side, grabbed Franz's arms and propped the other boy up using his shoulder. At least Franz was relatively light.

"What is going on?" Valentina asked, watching, eyes wide with confusion, as Waldo and Matthias moved to the elevator.

"Xana is attacking. We have to stop him," Matthias replied.

"I cannot understand you when you slur your words!" Valentina hissed, sounding both terrified and annoyed at the same moment.

_Of course you can't_, Matthias thought to himself. "Xana is attacking," he said slowly. "We have to stop him. We have to go to Diitto."

Without waiting for her to comprehend the situation, Waldo grabbed Valentina, pulled her into the elevator, and punched the buttons in the elevator that sent it lurching up to the gallery. Valentina jerked free, and then stood very still until the elevator came to a stop.

"Do you know the way to the bunker through the sewers?" Matthias asked Waldo, throwing Franz on his shoulder and awkwardly climbing up the ladder to leave the factory. It was hard to admit that he didn't know the way from the factory, but with Xana attacking he didn't have the time to be proud.

"Yes, I do," said Waldo, reaching the top of the ladder first. He began to run toward the closest manhole, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone. "Hey, Valentina, call Katja or Kokoro and ask them and Ulrich to get to the bunker as fast as they can!" he said, glancing over his shoulder to speak to the American before bringing his mobile to his ear and muttering. "Please pick up, Mom . . ."

Matthias hoisted himself to the top of the ladder and then once again balanced Franz with his shoulder and arm. The boy was still out cold. Matthias wondered if he'd wake up sometime soon, and if he'd be okay when he did.

Valentina and Waldo were each putting their cell phones back into their pockets and beginning their descent into the sewers when Matthias finally reached them.

"Katja and Kokoro are on their way, but they are not going to wake their dad because he is asleep," Valentina reported.

"My mom didn't answer," Waldo added. "My guess is that she's also out cold for the night."

"It's just us kids, then," Matthias muttered. Waldo helped him to carry Franz into the sewers as Valentina muttered something in English – 'hope' was the only word Matthias caught.

Once in the sewers, Matthias encountered the real problem with carrying a limp body – he would not be able to skateboard while dragging Franz to the bunker. Waldo immediately grabbed his board while Valentina gravitated toward Nancy's scooter, though stopped before climbing on it.

"I think you need this more than me. I'll run behind everyone with your skateboard," she said slowly, backing away from the scooter as she addressed Matthias.

Not bothering to argue, Matthias precariously balanced Franz before him on the scooter and began to follow Waldo down the empty sewer. So long as Franz didn't wake up and see Matthias holding him, the situation was bearable.

Waldo stopped instantly a moment later, and Matthias almost crashed into him. The younger boy began to hastily back up, and when he glanced past Matthias the dark-haired boy saw a flash of fear in his eyes.

"We need another route. There are three people that way. Be quiet, and follow me."

Matthias did as he was told, wondering why Waldo was making such a fuss about people in the sewer. Then again, it probably wasn't the best idea to skate past some adults at 10:30 pm with a kid who was out cold balanced against him.

The alternate route Waldo discovered took significantly longer than the original route would have. By the time they reached the door leading into the bunker, Matthias privately admitted that he was beginning to tire from dragging Franz threw the sewers. But, he wasn't about to reveal his weakness to the others.

"It's about time," came Kokoro's voice as the group entered the bunker. "Katja and I got here ages ago!"

"We had to make a detour," Waldo explained, calling the elevator with the punch of a few buttons. "What's the situation on Diitto?" he asked a moment later.

"Err, we can't tell exactly," came Katja's voice over the intercom – a system that could be operated with or without the help of the supercomputer. "I don't want to inadvertently do something I shouldn't have done with the supercomputer . . ."

"It's already beeping like mad," Kokoro added.

"Uh, okay. I'll figure everything out . . ." Waldo muttered. Matthias caught a hint of tension in the younger boy's tone. Briefly he wondered if Waldo was even able to run the supercomputer. Also, who was going stay behind to monitor the screens in the bunker? Waldo certainly couldn't since he had to be the one to deactivate the tower on Diitto.

The elevator door opened at last, revealing the computer room. Katja was seated in one of the chairs staring at a flashing computer screen while Kokoro was leaning up against the wall a few steps away. As soon as she saw the newcomers, Kokoro headed toward the elevator, but froze, widening her eyes as she watched Matthias emerge dragging Franz with him.

"What happened to him?" Kokoro asked, her eyes trailing Matthias as he propped Franz up against the wall of the bunker. Her last word was drowned out by a startled shriek. Matthias felt someone shove him out of the way and watched as Katja kneeled at Franz's side, face pale with shock.

"_What happened?"_ Katja asked, sounding positively mortified in comparison to her sister's mild concern.

"Xana sent a specter to destroy Lyoko's supercomputer. Franz was also fried because he was typing at the time," Matthias replied, moving across the room to stand behind Waldo. The boy was already fast at work, typing with his left hand and touching the screen with his right.

"The activated tower is in the savanna sector," Waldo said hastily. "I'll send three people and then send myself. Someone should stay here and watch the monitor-"

"I'll do it!" Katja volunteered from somewhere behind Matthias.

"Okay – the rest of you get into the scanner room," Waldo ordered. Matthias did not have to be asked twice. He followed Kokoro through the elevator, Valentina meekly following behind, and then stepped in the rightmost scanner. It closed around him almost instantly, and Matthias took a deep breath as he waited for the virtualization process to begin.

"Transfer Valentina, transfer Kokoro, transfer Matthias. Scanner Valentina, scanner Kokoro, scanner Matthias." Matthias felt himself begin to rotate and snapped his eyes shut instinctively. A blast of wind seemed to engulf him as Waldo finally said "Virtualization."

Then there was the tickling sensation that accompanied reformation on Diitto. Matthias remembered, just in time, to catch himself as he fell through the air and landed in the savanna sector.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I hope the plot is delicious enough to have you hate me for the cliffhanger. :)


	17. Part 3, Section 5: Kokoro

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Three: **

**Just Another Day at Kadic

* * *

**

**Author's Note: **I'm curious as to if anyone noticed the difference between how Waldo and Franz operate the supercomputer. A shout-out to the first person who lets me know via review or on my forums with their explanation of why. :)

On a less happy note, this site annoys me by only allowing me to keep 15 documents . . . .

_Also, please take a minute and vote on the poll on my profile page. I'd like to know everyone's favorite characters for future reference as I write. (Thanks to those who already found the poll and voted!)_

**

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Kokoro (Section 3.5)**

Kokoro landed with ease and then resumed her full height, glancing around the savanna sector. The second sector of Diitto reminded her strongly of the pictures taken by one of her classmates when she had gone on an African safari with her family during summer vacation two years ago. The ground was mostly flat with a few scattered hills, and small clumps of thorny, knotted trees with thin leaves dotted the landscape. Kokoro had landed in what appeared to be a patch of tall grass coming up to her waist, and she delicately stepped sideways until she was no longer caught in it. As a figure materialized and formed in the air above her, Kokoro shook her right arm, jingling the red and black bracelets that covered it in the process. It appeared as if injuries did not carry over when someone was virtualized onto Diitto.

Once he was fully materialized, Waldo dropped to the ground, landing on his stomach. Kokoro figured that, had she remembered to do so, she should have warned him about the drop.

"Welcome to Diitto, kid," she said, offering the boy a hand up. Waldo eyed Kokoro suspiciously for a moment, to her amusement, and then took her hand and climbed to his feet. Kokoro then made a point to inspect the boy's Diitto costume. It was dark green, well-fitting pants and a tight long-sleeved shirt, with thick silvery stitching crisscrossing all over his attire that gave Waldo a slightly mechanical look. He reminded Kokoro of an old computer chip she had seen once.

"The tower is northwest from our present position. I tried to get us as close as possible, but it's impossible to virtualize anyone to a specific location-"

"Yeah, yeah – less talking and more monster-slashing," Matthias said, holding out his right arm and materializing his sword. Slinging it over his shoulder, the boy began to run northwest. There was a dip in the terrain in that direction, and he soon disappeared from sight.

"Come on," Kokoro said, beginning to run after him after waving Valentina and Waldo after her. "Hey, Katja, is there anything nasty up ahead?"

"Err, I have no idea. I can't see much past Matthias's current position. Try and catch up with him so that the screen will center on you all . . ."

"It's possible to move the map I left you around manually," Waldo said.

"I don't know how to do that . . ." was the meek response.

The sound of laser fire reached Kokoro's ears. She ran as fast as she could, barreling down the hill before her and watching as Matthias boldly charged through a swarm of wasp-like monsters in the distance. She swore under her breath, having encountered hornets the last time she visited Diitto as well. She hated the little monsters. It was hard for her to hit them with her large fan; before her father and Katja had been the ones to destroy enough of them to create a passage for Franz so he could safely deactivate the tower.

"Matthias, you and Valentina distract the hornets! I'll guard Waldo and take him to the tower a different way!" Kokoro yelled, stopping in her tracks. She grabbed Waldo by the scruff of his shirt as he tried to run past her. "Hold on, there's no way you're going in that mess-" she said as she watched Matthias get hit two times by a pair of lasers from the hornets. "-unless Franz decides to end nap time within the next few minutes, you've got to be the one to deactivate the tower."

For some reason unknown to Kokoro, Waldo looked as if he was about to argue with her logic. Then he turned from her to watch as a laser struck Valentina the moment she reached the base of the valley below. The American leaped into the air, slicing a pair of hornets with her claws. She then opened her mouth and shouted "Ice ray" in English as she emitted a beam of ice that traveled through the air to take out a hornet that had been nearing Matthias from behind.

"There are only three more now – come on, let's go before reinforcements arrive!" Kokoro said. She began to run, leading Waldo around the edge of the dip in the terrain that made the valley before them. On the opposite side, past a grove of savanna trees, was the activated tower. What was visible of the white cylindrical building was engulfed in red smoke.

"Careful, Matthias, you only have forty life points left! You lost twenty each time one of those hornets hit you. Valentina, that last hit left you with sixty life points." Katja translated her second sentence into English as an afterthought a moment later.

Kokoro did not permit herself to glance at Valentina and Matthias. She did, however, feel as if she had to drag Waldo along the edge of the valley. The boy kept pausing every ten feet or so, looking around, wide-eyed, as if trying to find something.

"Will you focus already?" Kokoro snapped, stopping altogether. "What the hell are you doing, anyway?"

"I don't know," Waldo said, sounding agitated. He dropped to his hands and knees and began to touch the ground repeatedly. "I feel as if someone is touching my skin. I think it corresponds to us walking on the ground . . ."

Kokoro raised an eyebrow, counting the precious seconds that passed as Waldo continued to poke at the ground. She finally cast a wary glance sideways, saw that Matthias and Valentina had finished with the hornets, and turned to meet them as they approached.

"Waldo is attached to the ground," she explained, catching sight of their confused expressions as they watched the boy crawl around in the virtual dirt.

"I'm not _attached_ per say – I think I'm just extremely attuned to the pulsations around me . . ." Waldo muttered, finally standing. He glanced at each of the ones surrounding him in turn. "I'll figure it out later. Now we have to get to the tower. There are three monsters making their way toward us from the north."

"How do you know that?" Valentina asked.

"I can feel them . . ." muttered Waldo in response.

"Well then, let's try and beat the monsters to the tower!" Matthias said, beginning to run. Kokoro immediately followed, and Valentina dropped back onto all fours to pursue them as Waldo hesitantly started to run again.

"Waldo is right," came Katja's voice a moment later. "Three monsters just appeared on the map as you moved close enough for me to see them."

"Why wouldn't I have been-?"

"Oh, wow – be careful, guys! The monsters are moving really quickly!"

"We can handle whatever's approaching!" Matthias said roughly, slashing his sword into the air as he ran to emphasize his bold statement. The group entered the grove of trees, winding in and out between the trunks and (in Matthias's case) occasionally ducking beneath low-lying branches. Finally, they reached the edge of the clearing that held the tower, stopping and crouching behind a large, dirt-coated yellowish rock to spy on the monsters that had, unfortunately, reached the tower just before them.

"What are those?" Matthias asked.

"Megatanks," Waldo replied.

Matthias turned to leer at the younger boy. "And how do you know that?"

Waldo's eyes darted nervously between the monsters rolling around the base of the tower and Matthias. "I've seen pictures of them before. Odd drew pictures of all of the old monsters found on Lyoko and gave the sketchpad to my father before I was born. When I was seven I stole the sketchpad, photocopied a picture of each monster, and returned it before my dad noticed it was gone. I keep the pictures under my bed . . ."

"Did Odd's sketches happen to say how to kill those things?" Kokoro asked, analyzing the monsters from her position behind the rock. They were quite large, and their metal armor looked impenetrable. It was almost like a shell. But, if the monster did have a shell, then wouldn't it have to open to attack? If so, then there wouldn't be any use creating a surprise assault – they needed to attack the megatanks head-on in order to de-virtualize them. An oyster needed to be opened to obtain its pearl.

"Err, no. He didn't write on his sketches. I think they were to help my dad with the programming . . ."

"I don't see a way for the monster to shoot lasers," Valentina said. Kokoro figured that the other girl had made the same observations she had and was also frantically searching for a way to destroy the megatanks.

"Nor do I," Kokoro said. "I think that they'll open up somehow when we get close enough, though. Then we can attack."

"We should antagonize them, see what we have to deal with, and then figure out a plan to de-virtualize them," Matthias said. "I vote for Valentina going first. She can attack accurately from a distance with her _ice ray_." Matthias said the name of Valentina's attack in English, mirroring how the other girl activated her attack program.

"And I vote that _you_ go first!" Valentina hissed, narrowing her purple eyes at Matthias.

Matthias tightened his grip on his sword. "I can't exactly attack from a distance, since there's nothing to carry the current of my electric snake to the monsters!"

"I am not-!"

Kokoro mimed hitting her head repeatedly on the rock, groaned, and then stood. "Fine, _I_ will go and draw fire from the megatanks. My fan blocks lasers, so if I come under heavy fire I should be okay until you guys jump in and heroically save my ass."

"Wait, how do I attack?" Waldo asked as Kokoro started for the clearing.

She turned back to blink dumbfoundedly at the boy. "Did you really just ask me that?" Kokoro asked. "Aren't you supposed to be smart or something similar?"

"No, really-" Waldo began hastily. "-I don't have a weapon, and I don't think that I'll be able to activate a special program . . ."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't _feel_ as if I would be able to activate a special program," Waldo replied. He turned to Matthias and Valentina, still squatted on his other side. "How did you two learn how to activate ice ray and electric snake?"

"It just came instinctively," Valentina replied.

Waldo snorted. Kokoro could tell that he was frustrating himself by trying to figure out how he could attack on Diitto. The boy liked to have all of his facts in a neat little pile. While she had often seen Franz jump right into a new video game, Waldo always sat still for an hour or so and dedicatedly read the instruction book beforehand. "I don't feel any programs coming to me instinctively, and I've tried summoning a weapon as I saw Matthias do earlier. I'm out of ideas."

"Maybe you cannot attack," Valentina said.

Waldo looked mortified. "But-"

"I don't mean to interrupt, but I'm going to leave the supercomputer and Franz for a bit because I hear something upstairs," came Katja's voice.

Kokoro raised an eyebrow and glanced skyward. The sky in the savanna sector was a shade of pinkish-orange. "Something as in . . . ?" she asked.

There was no response. Shrugging, Kokoro shifted her gaze back to Waldo. "Look, kid, you'll figure out how to attack when your life depends on it. I have no doubt that you _can_ attack, but until your ass is aflame with laser you shouldn't worry too much. Personally I'd love to find that my fan can split into tinier, more accurate fans in a crisis, but I've never really been in a situation where that would make or break tower deactivation so the time for a miracle hasn't come. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go be an annoying brat."

With that, Kokoro ran from the cover of the trees and into the meadow. Immediately, the megatanks spun around as if facing her. A series of holes seemed to pop out of their armor in a ring around their middles. Kokoro slowed to a stop, grabbing her fan and spinning in a circle to open it on her side. If they fired she would rotate and deflect any lasers shot at her. Her heart began to beat frantically as she stared in the direction of the megatanks. Each had a half a dozen or so firing holes (which she could see were centered in the mark of Lyoko) around their middles. _A lot of lasers would soon be shooting up the area . . ._

Then, simultaneously, the megatanks opened. Kokoro felt her stomach climb into her throat as a large Lyoko mark was exposed within a mess of reddish gooey flesh within each megatank. The pearls had been revealed.

Before Kokoro could act, the first megatank attacked. It sounded as if it had exploded, and a millisecond later a wave of red laser was emitted from the core of the megatank, expanding in all directions as one monstrous wall. Shrieking, Kokoro moved out of the way just in time, watching as the laser wall faded amongst the trees. Panic engulfed Kokoro momentarily – _had the others moved out of the way in time?_

Before Kokoro could finish that last thought, the remaining two megatanks fired. Kokoro stood still with fear, watching as the double wall of lasers approached. Either way she moved she would be hit-

Kokoro flinched, waiting for the inevitable de-virtualization that would come from being hit with such a massive attack, but instead heard the sound of metal meeting laser. Opening her eyes, she saw that Matthias was now standing before her, using his long sword to hold off both laser walls.

"What the hell-?"

"I have no effing idea!" came Matthias's startled response. "Kill them now!" he ordered.

Kokoro stood ridged for a moment longer, watching as Valentina emerged from the trees and began to streak toward the fight. She shouted, "Ice ray" and aimed at one of the megatanks attacking Matthias. But it closed before her attack hit, rendering it useless.

The last megatank closed, allowing Matthias to lower his sword as its laser wall disintegrated, and the first opened for a second wave aimed at Kokoro. This time, Kokoro was prepared, opening her fan to prepare for impact and hold off the attack, but once again Matthias leapt into the line of fire with his sword, swearing.

"I can take care of myself!" hissed Kokoro, moving to stand beside Matthias. She spun around, launching her fan at the open megatank. Not surprisingly, it closed before impact, and the fan was knocked sideways, falling limply to the ground beside the tower.

"I'm sure that you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself," Matthias stammered. Kokoro met his gaze and saw that his dark eyes were wide with shock. Slowly, he reached for his chest, placing his left hand atop his costume. Then he swore violently, stomped the ground, and hastily turned from Kokoro to face the megatanks. The second and third were preparing to fire again, though this time they shifted their target to Valentina. She managed to nimbly avoid both laser waves, and tried aiming at one of the megatanks with another ice ray though failed to strike its exposed Xana eye.

"In that case, what the hell are you-?"

"_People have forced their way into the bunker!"_

Katja's frantic news interrupted Kokoro. She glanced skyward, and Matthias, doing the same, asked, "Really? Who?"

"I – I don't know. But they are – _omygodomygod they just made it into the elevator! Someone help!_"

The first megatank did not fire on schedule, giving Valentina time to streak toward the three of them without having to dodge a wall of lasers. Kokoro, feeling obligated to assist, started in the same direction, but she was held back as Matthias grabbed her arm. Turning to face him once more, Kokoro saw that the boy's face was still somewhat disturbed. However, she didn't care about his troubles – Kokoro had been woken up in the middle of the night to assist in the deactivation of a tower and that was what she intended to do.

"De-virtualize me and I'll go help Katja with the intruder!" he said. "I have the least life points remaining."

There was nothing Kokoro wanted more than to strike Matthias, but her fan was presently lying by the tower. Instinctively, Kokoro reached for one of the red bracelets on her arms. The red ones were shaped differently than the black ones, being looser and crescent shaped – thus removable if she tugged hard enough – unlike the black ones, which completely encircled her arm. She held the bracelet up to Matthias and then quickly spun it in her fingers. It began to glow a fiery red.

Matthias's eyes betrayed his surprise. "You weren't kidding when you spit out that stuff about miracles in a crisis," he muttered.

"Three," began Kokoro. "Two-"

"For the record, I didn't choose to save _you_-" Matthias said hastily, not meeting Kokoro's gaze. "My dad chose to save your-"

"One." Kokoro slammed the fiery bracelet into Matthias's chest, instantly de-virtualizing him. The bracelet disappeared upon impact. Before all of Matthias's white panels had completely vanished, Kokoro turned and began to streak toward the megatanks, watching as Valentina reached one. It began to draw power for its attack (as did the other two) and the American hastily slashed at the exposed Xana eye with her claws. The megatank rolled away, de-virtualizing, as the remaining megatanks attacked. Valentina was not able to make it out of one of the laser waves in time – it clipped her tail, causing her to cry out in alarm.

The other laser wave had nearly hit Kokoro, but she was able to duck out of the way. As the laser wave began to retreat, Kokoro pulled off the second of what had originally been ten red bracelets and threw it in the direction of the megatank. It closed before the burning object could strike, though made a sizzling sound as it collided with the megatank's armor.

"Be careful! One more hit and you'll be done for!" Kokoro called to Valentina. She began to charge the megatanks, growing closer to them and the tower with every step. "Waldo, wherever you are, I seriously hope you are using the back way in with all of the mess we're making up front!"

Kokoro began to run once more, charging the megatanks. Valentina did the same, and, being significantly closer, reached them first. Right as the pair opened she leapt atop the monster closest to her. She began to scratch at the exposed Xana eye-

The megatanks fired. Valentina was sent backwards with the blast, fading into a series of white panels that vanished as the seconds ticked past. Kokoro bit back the urge to scream. Alone, she was up against two megatanks and didn't have a clue where Waldo was. Peachy.

Without closing, the megatanks prepared to fire once more, rotating to face the only target remaining – her. Swearing, Kokoro leapt into the air, spinning from harm and landing ten feet away from the megatanks. She detached a third bracelet and threw it, hoping to hit the Lyoko mark in one of the monsters, though missed and hit some of the gooey insides instead. The megatank rolled backwards on impact, though it was not de-virtualized.

"Waldo – the tower!" Kokoro yelled, knowing that the monsters would vanish once Xana lost his power source. The megatank that Kokoro had not hit – the one that Valentina had previously attacked – fired at her. Kokoro ran out of the way, making a beeline for her fan. She somersaulted to reach it, and then immediately opened it to hold off the laser wall that one of the megatanks shot at her. As soon as that megatanks's attack faded the other let out its own laser wall. The process began to repeat.

"Waldo!" Kokoro shrieked. She was unable to do anything aside from hold back the barrage of laser walls. If she moved her fan to throw a bracelet then she would undoubtedly lose life points. Then again, what choice did she have?

In one fluid motion, Kokoro rotated, closing her fan, put it back inside her obi, and then removed three bracelets from one arm and threw them at the megatanks. One of them hit the red sticky stuff inside a megatank while the others ricocheted off its metal armor and seemed to pop out of existence.

Finally, out of the corner of her eye, Kokoro watched as Waldo appeared on the opposite side of the clearing and began to make a break for the tower. The megatanks rotated in place, charging to fire upon their newer, more important target. Swearing, Kokoro plucked the two remaining red bracelets from each arm with opposite hands and then leapt at the megatank. She landed atop it, aimed at the large Lyoko mark with the two bracelets in her right hand-

And then it fired.

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**Author's Note:** The good news is that the next chapter will be up tomorrow. The bad news is that I'm gonna stop writing new sections for a little bit after the completion of Part 3 so that I can go back and edit everything through this point to make it better. I imagine I'll have the first section of Part 4 up with the New Year. Also, now that the major characters have been introduced, I'm also going to add a character list. The character list will have all anyone needs to know about the characters of the story and more, but might have a few spoilers so if that bothers you then don't read it until after Part 4 is up in its entirety.


	18. Part 3, Section 6: Katja

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Three: **

**Just Another Day at Kadic

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**Author's Note: **I am dead serious. Before reading this section _please_ vote on the poll atop my profile. Presently a large section of the plot I have swirling around my head give a lot of emphasis to one character, though if nobody likes (or everyone dislikes - I'm not saying which) that character I might rethink things a bit to make the story more interesting to my readers.

**

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Katja (Section 3.6)**

A dull thud caught Katja's attention. She stood as still as she could, wondering if she had truly heard the unnatural sound or if she had merely imagined it. Then she heard it again, and again, and again.

_This is odd_, she thought, glancing away from the map that Waldo had put on the screen of her computer before running off to virtualize himself. Franz, lying up against the wall a few paces away from her, was still clearly out cold. Katja wished that there was something she could do to help him wake, that nothing bad had happened to him from the shock he had gotten from the Lyoko supercomputer. She had known Franz for as long as she could remember, and it was painful to see him hurt.

The girl turned her attention back to the supercomputer, turning up the volume in her earpiece. She had previously muted it after first hearing the thudding sound. Instantly, she was overwhelmed by the argumentative tones of those who had been sent to Diitto.

"Maybe you cannot attack," Valentina said.

"But-"

"I don't mean to interrupt-" Katja said, cutting Waldo off as she heard the thudding sound yet again. "-but I'm going to leave the supercomputer and Franz for a bit because I hear something upstairs." Without waiting for a response, Katja removed her earpiece and microphone, set it gently down on the keyboard before her, and then crossed the room to the elevator. Before she stepped inside, the girl cast one quick glance in Franz's direction.

"I won't leave you for long," she whispered, finally stepping into the elevator and sending it to the top floor. The moment it and its hum stopped again Katja heard the dull thudding she had originally noticed one level down intensify. It became stronger, more violent, as she carefully approached the door of the bunker. Heart pounding, Katja reached out to place her hand on the metal door. She felt whatever was attacking the door from the outside continue to do so, and then the thudding suddenly stopped. Wondering if whatever was making the noise had departed, Katja slowly pressed her ear against the bunker door. Faint mechanical sounds reached her. Whoever was outside the bunker door was trying to hack their way into the bunker using the keypad by repeatedly pressing its buttons.

"This isn't good . . ." Katja muttered, hastily backing away from the door as, in addition to the mechanical clicking of the keypad, resumed aggressive thudding against the door resumed. Where there two people outside? "Oh, this really isn't good . . ."

Katja sent herself back to the computer room, glancing at Franz, who was still unconscious, before putting her headset back on and then staring determinedly at the touch screen before her. The bunker was rigged with cameras. There had to be a way to switch from the map Waldo had left her to the camera feed. She shifted her way to the keyboard, a device that Jeremie had clearly made custom for his invention. The keyboard had a number pad on its right while on its left was a group of labeled buttons. Scanning them, Katja timidly pressed the one labeled 'Cameras' and flinched as the map on the screen before her disappeared, instantly replaced by one large camera feed from the room she was in.

Katja glanced over her shoulder, looking for the camera she could not see, and then fixed her eyes once again on the screen. Along the top were small images labeled in the bottom right corner. Katja prodded one, watched as it replaced the view of her backside with a view of the empty scanner room, and then hastily searched for a view of the outside sewers. She found another camera from the supercomputer room, the lounge-

A horrible banging noise vibrated throughout the bunker. Katja squeaked in alarm, and then brought up another random camera. It showed the room that led into the bunker. Two grown men were crossing the room, heading for the elevator. One turned to face the camera, growling like an animal. The pupils in his eyes had been replaced with Lyoko marks.

"_People have forced their way into the bunker!"_ Katja shrieked, watching as one of the two men held his hands over the keypad by the elevator and a series of blue lights began to flash between his palms and the device.

"Really? Who?" Matthias asked, his voice entering her ear through her headset.

"I – I don't know. But they are – _omygodomygod they just made it into the elevator! Someone help!_"

"What are you screaming about . . . ?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Katja saw Franz stir. She ripped the headset from her ear and then rushed to his side as he shaking stood, taking his hand to help support him as he wobbled forward.

"How did I get to the bunker?" Franz asked. His voice was soft, proof that he was not anywhere near fully recovered from his earlier electrical shock.

"Matthias carried you," Katja said, both thrilled that, for the most part, Franz seemed okay, but terrified because of the men who were presently hacking an elevator ride down to the room.

"He did what?" Franz said, eyes widening. "Ugh, I don't want him touching me!"

Katja made a point to release Franz's hand, seeing that he was more or less able to stand on his own now. "Would you rather the others left you alone in the factory during a Xana attack?" she asked.

Franz's eyes glanced hastily around the room as the elevator lurched. Katja saw the lights that represented its actions glow, biting her tongue as she saw it was heading back down to the second level, already having picked up the men from the first.

"Why is it going-?"

"Xana possessed a couple of men and they're coming down to attack us!" Katja whispered, mind whirling. She had the ability to think in a crisis – in school she had proved this countless times – but now she was completely lost for what she should do.

Franz stepped forward, narrowing his eyes at the closed elevator door and adopting a defensive pencak silat stance. Though he had just regained consciousness, he seemed prepared to fight the two men the moment they stepped out of the elevator. Katja felt her insides tighten as she mimicked him, prepared to do the same.

"Anything else I need to know, Katja?" Franz asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the elevator doors.

"Waldo, Kokoro, Valentina, and Matthias are currently on Diitto trying to deactivate a tower in the savanna region. Xana's attack this time fried the Lyoko supercomputer along with you. Uh – the guys looked huge on camera."

Franz's mouth curled into a smile, and he quickly met Katja's gaze. "What? Doubting our mad skills?"

Katja didn't have a chance to respond. The elevator door opened and the two men emerged. Both were clad in dark uniforms, hinting that they worked in the sewers or something similar. One was significantly taller than the other, which resembled a chunky gorilla. Katja was petrified with fear as she watched both summon purplish-white electricity to their hands. The tall one lunged forward, moving as a blur, and struck Franz. Unprepared, the boy was thrown backward into the wall. He crumbled, but stood again, one eye flinched shut in pain as he charged his attacker. The tall man growled, reached to strike Franz, but missed as he ducked out of the way. Franz then quickly tripped his attacker.

Katja was forced to look away as the chunkier man flew at her. She dodged, aimed a useless blow at his stomach, and was then hit in the arm with a few strands of electricity from her attacker's hand. Drawing a sharp intake of breath to combat the pain, Katja punched her attacker in the face. She sent him staggering backward, watching as he seemed to crackle in and out of view as a glitchy hologram would – a hologram that had the ability to kill her if he tried hard enough.

"Gah!"

Katja turned just in time to watch as the tall man struck Franz squarely in the stomach, sending him flying up until he slammed up against the wall. The blond boy crumpled onto the ground and remained motionless. Katja screamed his name, and in the split-second she was distracted the gorilla-like man reached for her throat and began to squeeze.

Life began to seep from Katja. Her vision became blurred, the feeling in her hands began to go, and her lungs screamed for air. Katja mind's whirled. There were so many things she wanted to do, to say, to experience – she couldn't be dying at a mere fourteen years of age . . .

And then the man released her, dropping to the ground like a swatted fly. Katja gasped for breath, clutching her neck as she watched the tall man punch her savior. Matthias flew backward, hit the wall, and then quickly slid out of the way of his next blow. The man hit the wall of the bunker instead, but his blow did nothing to the wall.

The gorilla-like man's eyes flew open at this moment. He reached for Katja's leg, but she jumped over him and kicked him in the spine. The man shimmered again and was still. Katja took the opportunity to steal across the room and kick the other man squarely in the spine. Distracted by Matthias, whom he was taking several swings at, he was unprepared to counter her blow and dropped to the ground, shimmering as if he was a failing hologram as well.

Matthias and Katja were silent for a moment, both staring at the two downed men as they gasped for breath. Then Katja remembered Franz, and she rushed across the room and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, whispering his name and trying to shake him awake.

"That's not where I left him. Did he-?"

"Yeah, he woke up right as those guys stormed the room," Katja replied. She turned back to Franz. "Hey, everything is taken care of now. Please wake up . . ."

The elevator door opened, and Katja tensed, prepared to do whatever was necessary to combat the new intruder, only to watch as Valentina dizzily stumbled into the room. She hobbled over to the wall and leaned her head against it.

"Were you just de-virtualized?" Matthias asked.

"No, I was de-virtualized a few minutes ago, but I think that I passed out on the floor of the scanner room when I came back. I was de-virtualized by the blast from a megatank."

Katja bit her lip, sympathetic to the exhausted girl before her. The activated tower returned to her in a flash, and she stood and hurried back to the forgotten computer monitor and jammed the headset into her ear. "Waldo? Kokoro? Are you still there?"

Nobody responded. Katja felt her stomach lurch. "Check the scanner room!" she ordered Matthias. As he grudgingly obeyed, Katja called into the microphone on her headset once more. "Waldo? Kokoro? Can either of you hear me?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Katja watched as both the downed sewer workers seemed to flash at the same time. One then groaned, though the sound was more fitting of an adult man and less of a person controlled by Xana. Katja relaxed a bit, guessing that the tower had been deactivated if Xana's spell over the men had been shattered, but she still needed proof from those still on Diitto.

"Kokoro? Wald-?"

"It's done!" came Waldo's voice. "I deactivated the tower. Kokoro just de-virtualized though. She . . . she . . ."

"She what?" Katja asked, heart pounding within her chest as she waited for Waldo to gather his wit and answer her.

"I didn't really get to see because I ran into the tower, but I think she changed form somehow and then took out the megatanks. I came out of the tower a moment ago to find them gone and then-"

Franz stumbled to Katja's side and pressed a button on the keyboard in front of Katja. She felt her eyes light up, infinitely pleased to see that he was all right – or at least able to stand on his own – as Waldo's voice changed so that it entered the room itself rather than just her headset.

"-watched as Kokoro fell from the sky. She de-virtualized immediately afterwards."

"Why was Kokoro in the sky?" Katja asked.

"I – I think that – though I can't be sure because I went into the tower – that she turned into a dragon . . ."

At that moment, Matthias reentered the room, carrying Kokoro, who was passed out, in his arms. He gently set her down on the ground, and Katja hurried to her sister's side. There was something smug and peaceful about Kokoro's expression, almost as if she was asleep and having a very nice dream.

"Sis," Katja whispered. She didn't think that her sister was seriously hurt, and figured that Kokoro would wake up soon. "The tower was deactivated. Everything is fine now."

"Can someone bring me in?" Waldo's voice filled the room. Franz muttered something under his breath and then sat down at the supercomputer, beginning to type with his right hand and touch the monitor before him with his left.

"What do you suppose we do with them?" Matthias asked, poking one of the sewer workers with his shoe.

Katja watched as Valentina shrugged. "I guess we drag them out of the bunker," said the half Japanese girl.

"But we don't want them to wake up right outside the door," Valentina said. "They might find the door suspicious."

"This part of the sewer isn't owned by the city, so if these guys do work in the sewers they'd have no right to go messing with the bunker door," Franz muttered, finally stepping away from the supercomputer. A moment later Waldo entered the room via the elevator, having walked through it from the scanner room. He glanced around the room, his eyes drifting over Valentina, Matthias, Kokoro and Katja, his brother, and finally each of the knocked-out sewer workers.

"Those were the guys I saw in the sewers earlier!" he said. Turning to Matthias, he added "Remember earlier? When we encountered those guys in the sewer on our way here from the factory? They were working on something, but right as we neared them I watched as a specter snaked down from the open manhole above them and possessed them."

"Do you remember where that was? If we could get the men back to that spot then they might think they just fell asleep or something," Franz said. His tone was still softer than normal.

"I remember," Waldo replied.

"Can we even drag both of them back to that spot?" Valentina asked. "How far is it from the bunker?"

"Not far," answered Waldo. "We could easily drag them."

"I'm not leaving my sister until she wakes up," Katja said, taking Kokoro's hand and squeezing it. "I'll stay here all night if I have to. I'll move her down to the lounge somehow."

Franz checked his watch and yawned. "Well, whatever we do, we should start now. It'll be midnight by the time we get back to Kadic . . ."

"Make sure you're at lunch tomorrow," Katja told Franz.

"Why wouldn't I be? It's lunch," Franz said, smiling a bit. He turned around once more, and tapped the monitor before him so that it darkened. Then he moved in the direction of the closest sewer worker. "Waldo, help me with him. Valentina, Matthias, together you should be able to handle the other one."

Katja watched as Valentina, Franz, Matthias, and Waldo dragged the men into the elevator. Franz pressed some buttons on the keypad and the doors began to close behind them.

"When she wakes up, tell Kokoro that I wouldn't have made it into the tower without h-!" Waldo said quickly. His last word was clipped as the elevator door closed.

Katja was still and quiet for a few moments after the hum of the elevator stopped, meaning that the others had reached the top floor. She then glanced at her sister, who still looked as if she was sleeping peacefully. Katja reached into her pocket, set her cell phone alarm for 6:30 am – the latest that she figured she and Kokoro could leave the bunker and still make it to school on time after heading home first – and then texted her father to tell him that the tower had been successfully deactivated and that he shouldn't worry if he woke to find them not at home.

After shoving her phone back in her pocket, Katja gently reached down and picked up her sister. A mixture of pencak silat, soccer, and having a rough-playing sibling and best friend had made her strong enough to do so. Katja carried Kokoro over to the elevator, used a pinky finger to send it down to the lounge, and then set her sister down on the couch before collapsing in one of the hammocks hanging above her.

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**Author's Note:** And that's all for now! Did you like it? Over the next few days I'm gonna go back and edit the first three parts of the story as I mentioned before, and I hope to have the first section of Part 4 up around New Years Day. Have a happy New Years everyone! I'll see you in 2011! (Oh wow, I just typed 2010 and had to go back and fix it . . .) The first section of the next part gives insight into the mind of a character who hasn't gotten a section to herself yet, just in case you'd like to know.


	19. Two of a Kind

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Four:**

**Two of a Kind**

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Author's Note:** I meant to finish and upload this sooner, but inspiration for another story struck and I had to spend time writing that a little. I might upload it soon (anyone else play Minecraft?) though this will still be my primary story until it is complete. Thank you for your patience with me.

_Also, if you haven't already done so, please vote on the character poll on my profile! Thank you so much to those who already voted!_

I also started a forums on my account because I could and added a character biographies section after the prologue. The latter contains spoilers, so reference at your own risk.

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Nancy (Section 4.1)**

Only after Chakori had left for the dance club interest meeting did Nancy leave her room. It was mid-afternoon and most classes were finished for the day. As she crossed the courtyard on her way to the Elizabeth building, Nancy checked the message she had gotten on her cell phone earlier that day.

_Franz has a copy of Diitto's instruction manual. Sorry, but I cannot send you your own via email because it is unsafe. I'll bring you one soon. – Aelita_

Nancy and Mrs. Belpois had been exchanging text messages since she had moved into Kadic on Sunday. Since Nancy had no intention of ever going to Diitto she wanted to learn how to operate the supercomputer itself. That way she could still do something to help bring her father home. Though Franz was still the only person who knew her fears, Nancy suspected that Mrs. Belpois knew the real reason why she was so intent on learning how to run the supercomputer. That had worked out well over the past few days. Aelita had told her that, with a little work, Nancy could easily learn to execute basic programs such as the virtualization process and return home. Franz and Waldo could teach her. Nancy had then asked if it was possible to get hold of an instruction manual for Diitto. If she was going to learn how to operate the supercomputer, she wanted to learn how to run _everything_ – not just a few programs.

Letting herself into the Elizabeth building, Nancy hastily made her way over to the elevators and waited for one to return to the lobby. She entered as a couple of older students exited and them punched the button that would take her to the third floor. Nancy intended to borrow Franz's copy of Diitto's instruction manual so that she could begin to read it later that evening.

The elevator dropped Nancy off in the third floor lounge. She headed out the set of doors that led to the boy's side of the building and then glanced up and down the hallway, not quite sure which room belonged to Franz and Matthias. She supposed that she should text one of them and find out – probably Franz. Again, Nancy reached for her cell phone, but did not bother to take it out of her pocket. She watched as Matthias emerged from one of the rooms, Franz following him. They were arguing.

"Of course I won't lose it!" Franz snapped. "But unless you want to be at the mercy of the rest of us, you really should give me your ID so that Waldo can modify it."

"I need my ID, doofus. It lets me into the buildings around here in case you didn't notice!" Matthias hissed, clutching his swipe in his hand.

"Yeah, I know. Just rely on those chimpanzees you call your friends to let you into the cafeteria or wherever you plan on going," Franz said. He locked the door to his room and then placed his room key back into his pocket. Turning, Franz then noticed Nancy at the same time as Matthias. He greeted her as her brother asked what she was doing in their dormitory.

"I want to borrow the Diitto instruction manual," Nancy said, walking over to the older boys.

"Why? What use is that to you?" Matthias asked.

"Does it matter?" Nancy snapped, ignoring her brother. "Franz, can I borrow the manual?"

"Of course. Just don't let Chakori read it," Franz said. He began to unlock his room again.

"You have better things to do than read a stupid instruction manual," Matthias sneered, flicking his sister on the forehead. It was a habit he had picked up from their father, though William tended to do it in a nicer way. Matthias did it when he believed he was making a point.

"If she wants to read the instruction manual then she can read the instruction manual!" Franz said, ducking into his room. He came out a moment later holding a thick white binder. It was unmarked on the outside, easily overlookable if it was placed with anything brighter and flashier.

Matthias rolled his eyes. "You should focus on being available the next time Xana attacks so that you can go to Diitto. Even Weirdo went last time, though he was essentially useless since he didn't even know how to attack."

"Wait, you went back to Diitto?" This was news to Nancy. She hadn't thought that there had been a Xana attack since the one on Sunday. Since she and Chakori had just begun to play a game of mancala, something Chakori had been very excited to teach her, Nancy had felt it would have been rude to duck away so she had opted to sit that adventure out. "When did you go back?"

"Last night – keep up, will you?" Matthias muttered. He grudgingly stuffed his ID card into Franz's free hand before walking down the hallway in the direction of the stairs. "The next time Xana attacks, you should be one of the first to respond since you haven't done anything before now. Dad would be disappointed in you."

As Matthias disappeared into the stairwell, Nancy felt her face grow hot with anger. Her father would _not_ be disappointed in her! Matthias had no right to say such a thing! Unlike him, William would understand why she didn't intend to go to Diitto. He would be proud that she wanted to be helpful in another way by learning to fight Xana at the controls of the supercomputer as opposed to on Diitto itself.

"I hope he trips and falls down the stairs," Franz grumbled, pocketing Matthias's ID as he handed Nancy the instruction manual. She tucked it under her arm, silently agreeing with Franz's statement.

"Why did you need my brother's ID?" she asked.

"Yesterday Waldo figured out that there are tunnels under the school buildings. He's gonna configure our ID cards to scan into the basement of the dormitories and the gym so that we can easily access them. Come on, he can do yours right now, too."

"Oh, okay," Nancy said, following Franz in the direction of the elevators. "But why would we need to get into the basements?"

"Waldo also thinks that the tunnels would lead into the sewers. It's a good theory since Kadic used to have its own entrance in the gym back when our parents went here. That entrance is long gone, so the tunnels that connect the dormitories and the gymnasium probably replaced it for whatever reason the original passage served."

"But you don't know for sure if there is a passage, though," Nancy surmised.

"Not yet – nobody has had time to thoroughly explore," Franz said. "You have your ID on you, right?" he asked as they got into the elevator and waited for it to deposit them in the building's lobby.

"I got into the building, didn't I?"

Franz adopted a slightly crooked smile. "Oh, yeah."

"Will Waldo's configurations hurt it any way?" Nancy asked.

"No, of course not. He tested his own ID over lunch and then quickly altered Katja's. In case you didn't notice, Kokoro was out today. She woke up around five this morning after passing out when she returned from Diitto last night so Ulrich kept her home."

"I noticed that she wasn't at lunch," Nancy said softly. She began to follow Franz out of the building and across the courtyard to her own dormitory. A gnawing feeling of guilt began to eat away at her insides. _She should have known about the previous night's attack the previous night . . ._

"Anyway, I suggest you start with the basics when reading that," Franz said, the tone of his voice suggesting that he was purposely changing the subject. "Virtualization, return home, and the map. Sometime this weekend I'll take you to the bunker and we can practice what you've learned – that is, so long as there aren't any emergencies before then. There very well may be . . ."

"If someone had told me about the last one I would have gone to help . . ." Nancy grumbled.

"You didn't want to go with us to the factory last night to get the return to the past from Lyoko," said Franz.

"What?" Nancy said. _People had gone to the factory to try and get Lyoko's return to the past?_ This was also news to her. Why didn't anyone tell her _anything_?

Franz made a snorting sound. "Oh, I suppose Waldo didn't get a chance to invite you. He was going to try and talk to you during class, but might have found that difficult to do."

"Yeah, Chakori and I were together all day today and yesterday . . ." Nancy said. Her stomach twisted. If Waldo had wanted to invite her to the factory with everyone else it wouldn't have been too hard to make up an excuse to talk to her alone. He could have easily sent her a text message as well. Why then had Waldo failed to invite her? Did she do something she shouldn't have?

Franz and Nancy said nothing as they let themselves into the Jean-Pierre building and climbed to the second floor. A doorstop prevented Waldo's door from closing, holding it open about an inch. Franz knocked quickly and then pushed his way into the room. Waldo was sitting at his desk, staring at his desktop. His laptop was open beside it, though the screen had gone to sleep from lack of use.

"Here, do your stuff," Franz said, handing his brother his ID card and Matthias's ID card. "Actually, you might want to do Nancy's first. Do you have somewhere to be, Nancy? Will Chakori notice your absence if you are gone for too long?"

"No, she won't notice, but I wouldn't mind being able to start reading this soon," Nancy said, handing Waldo her own ID card. The boy silently took it, not meeting her gaze, and then slid it into a small device he had attached to his computer via USB cord. Waldo then switched from the coding screen he was looking at to another program, clicked a few times, and then went back to what he was doing before.

"It'll take a couple of minutes. We just have to wait now," he said.

"What are you working on?" Franz asked. He had caught sight of the coding and seemed interested in his brother's project.

"The return to the past, of course. Since we were unable to get Lyoko's copy it looks like we have to fix Diitto's without any reference. It'll take a long time, though."

"Could we try getting the code from Lyoko again later?" Franz asked.

Waldo shook his head. "No, I'm fairly sure that Lyoko's interface is dead. The computer was smoking after you passed out. It might be fixable, but the only ones who ever knew how to fix something like that are somewhere in a virtual universe." Nancy knew that Waldo was referring to his father and grandfather Hopper. She bit her lip at the news of Lyoko's destruction. A nasty feeling twisted her insides.

"Do you want me to help you work on the return to the past?" Franz asked. "Yeah, you found the initial bug, but I'm more qualified to fix it. Don't you think so?"

"No!" Waldo said, glaring at his brother. "I'll be fine by myself. You have the code on your computers – feel free to make your own changes to it, but I'm not giving you what I just did this afternoon. If we both hit dead ends then perhaps we can help one another, but otherwise-"

"You're being unreasonable, Waldo," Franz said stiffly. "The process will go so much faster if we work together. Give me what you already have so I can look-"

"No. It won't go faster at all. We'll just fight and nothing will be accomplished."

"Well, not with that attitude."

Nancy watched Franz and Waldo continue to bicker, mind racing. It did not seem as if they were willing to compromise, each set upon the way they thought it would be most efficient to fix the broken program.

"Lyoko was destroyed," she said.

Waldo and Franz stopped arguing, both turning to face the redheaded girl standing behind them. "Lyoko is fine," Franz corrected her. "I disconnected the controls from the supercomputer itself before turning it on. But if the damage to the controls is as bad as the others say it is then we lost our window into that world. We won't be able to get information from Lyoko because we don't have a way to _get_ the information anymore."

"Exactly!" Nancy exclaimed, pleased to have understood everything Franz had said. "What do we do if we need to go to Lyoko or get any more code from its system? We lost the Lyoko interface last night. It'll be too hard to fix it, but is there anything else that could be done in case-"

"In case we needed to extract anymore code," Franz said, cutting Nancy off.

"Or if we wanted to try and get the return to the past again!" Waldo said, breaking into a smile, eyes glowing. Turning to Franz, he added, "Would it be possible? I mean, it'll be possible to create a series of programs, but could another computer hold it? An average one like one of our laptops?"

"There's only one way to find out," Franz said excitedly. He turned and then grabbed Nancy by the shoulders and gave her a little shake. "This is a great idea!" he told her. "I wouldn't have thought of it, to tell the truth." He released Nancy and then turned back to Waldo. "Fine, we'll split the work between us. You can start fixing the return to the past the hard way while I'll try to come up with a way to send people to Lyoko with a laptop."

"Fine with me," Waldo said. The machine by his computer beeped and spit out Nancy's ID card. Waldo returned it to her and then inserted Franz's and began to initiate that card's update.

"Will there be anything I can do to help?" Nancy asked, sharing the two boys' excitement over her idea. If there was anything at all that she could do to help, then she wanted to do it.

"Sure, you're free to help me," Franz said. "It'll be a great way to learn some coding. After a bit of instruction you'd even be able to do the basic stuff."

"Okay – just let me know when you need me," Nancy said. She would easily be able to visit Franz to help him with the program because he and Matthias were roommates. Chakori wouldn't find it too strange that she went to visit her brother. She had a younger sister that she claimed to hate, though at the same time she admitted to loving her dearly. While Nancy was sure she secretly didn't love Matthias, she could lead Chakori to believe she got along with him to an extent as a cover for going to help Franz with the coding.

_Daddy, I'm going to help free you in my own way – just you wait.

* * *

_

**Author's Note:** The next section will be up when it is written. That will be soon, I promise.


	20. Part 4, Section 2: Aelita

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Four: **

**Two of a Kind

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**

**Author's Note:** I've been living in every writer's nightmare the past few days: The stats pages appear to be broken, so I have no way to gauge if anyone has been reading this story! So please, if you are following it and like it, now is as good of a time as ever to drop a review so I get some assurance that people are still reading this . . .

_Also, if you haven't already done so, please vote on the character poll on my profile! Thank you so much to those who already voted!_

**

* * *

Aelita (Section 4.2)**

Aelita drummed her fingers anxiously on her laptop, eyes darting between the clock on the top corner of the screen and the school buildings in the distance. Her kids had their lunch now, and they knew she was waiting for them. What could be taking them so long?

Finally, Aelita watched as Waldo crossed the Kadic parking lot and awkwardly moved over to her van. As he had been instructed, he carried his laptop under his arm.

"Mom, this is really sketchy. Parents don't usually text their kids while they are in class," Waldo muttered, handing Aelita the laptop. She was seated cross-legged on the floor of her van. Since dropping her children and the Dunbar children off at Kadic nearly a week ago, Aelita had left the two seats directly behind the passenger's seat and the driver's seat down. The space created now served as a makeshift office.

"Well, we have special circumstances don't we?" Aelita said simply. She linked her laptop with Waldo's and began to initiate the transfer. The night before, after three days of work, she had completed a superscanner that would go off if Xana activated any of the towers on Diitto. Even though she had not been allowed a test-run (though in no way did Aelita want Xana to attack) she was still confident that her program would work. It had worked perfectly in all of her simulations. And it was based off of Jeremie's old superscan. Jeremie's program had saved lives in the past, and since the return to the past was bugged knowing if and when Xana attacked was all the more important.

"Oh, I brought Nancy her own copy of the Diitto instruction manual your father wrote," Aelita said, passing Waldo a binder. "Will you give it to her?" The pink-haired woman's eyes flashed back to her computer screen so that she could monitor the data transfer. She did not see her son's hesitant expression or notice the reluctance verbal in his agreement.

"Why did you print Nancy a copy?" he asked a moment later.

"She wanted one," Aelita said. She spared her younger son a glance. He seemed to be doing well at Kadic, which comforted her. His hair was brushed and he looked clean. There were slight bags under his eyes, though Aelita knew that with her own dark circles she was in no position to nag him about them.

"But . . ."

"These are questions that you should be asking Nancy, not me," Aelita said, gently pushing away the words on Waldo's lips. The transfer between her computer and her son's finished, so she unplugged Waldo's laptop and handed it back to him. "Make sure to shut it down so the program's installation can be completed," she reminded him. "And do the same with your desktop after transferring the superscanner to it as well."

"I won't forget!" Waldo said, holding his computer up to his chest along with the binder that contained the instruction manual. He cast a quick glance in the direction of the dormitories. "Can I go now?" he then asked.

"Surely you aren't embarrassed to be seen with your own mother, sweetheart," Aelita teased.

"Under normal circumstances, no," Waldo said blankly. "But you have a pile of computer stuff packed into a white van. Most people find that creepy."

"Most people don't know about Xana, sweetheart," Aelita said softly.

Waldo said nothing in response. He turned to leave, but Aelita called out to him. Franz should have come out to meet her by now, so she was beginning to worry about him.

"Waldo, you wouldn't happen to know where your brother is, would you?"

"Uh . . . no. He wasn't at lunch, though. Did you by chance text him around the same time that you texted me?" Waldo asked, stopping to face his mom as he spoke.

"Yes, why?" Aelita asked.

"Franz doesn't notice his phone go off when it is on vibrate so he leaves the sound on. He would have been in math when you texted him, and from what I've heard the math teacher is a pain in the butt-"

"Damn," Aelita muttered under her breath, not quite loud enough for her son to hear.

"-so she might have confiscated his phone or thrown him in detention. I'll-"

"I'll just go and see where he is," Aelita said, climbing out of the van, shutting the door, and locking it electronically with her key. She smiled at Waldo, patted him on the shoulder as she passed, and then crossed Kadic's grounds on her way to the administration building. Aelita had been up most of the night finishing the superscanner and was determined to install it on her son's laptop. Luckily the coffee she'd drank that morning had left her in a good mood, otherwise she probably would have been a bit irked to find that she had to cross the campus in search of her son.

Between 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm, the hour designated as lunch for students at Kadic, they were free to roam the campus as they saw fit. Though that was also the only time between 8 am and 4:30 pm when students were allowed back into their dormitories, Aelita know that most students simply hung out in the courtyards, recreational room, or in the library. Dozens of students stared at her as she passed, though she ignored them. More than a handful of the students of Kadic recognized her as a retired DJ, and another handful knew her as Franz's mother. Letting herself into the administration building, Aelita glanced up and down the hallway. She moved into the principal's office and walked up to his secretary, who was seated at her desk reading.

"Hello, my name is Mrs. Aelita Belpois and I have reason to believe that my son's cell phone was taken from him around 10:30 this morning after I sent him a message. The message was rather urgent and I would appreciate if I could see him immediately, regardless of whether or not he's being punished for having his phone on in class, and that his phone be returned to him at once."

The secretary blinked at Aelita, clearly bewildered by her terms. Over the years Aelita had found that it was best to be direct and demanding when asking for something. She found it the best way to get what she wanted with minimal setback.

"Uh, I do remember a boy being sent in here earlier," the secretary said hesitantly. "My guess is that Mr. Delmas still has his phone in his desk. It is customary for him to confiscate the offending device when one goes off in a classroom setting and hold it for a period of 24 hours . . ."

"Surely there are exceptions to the textbook protocol you just recited," Aelita said sweetly. She then added, her voice stony. "I would like to ask that my son's phone be returned to him now. As I said, I was the one who sent him a message earlier, and I did so for a very good reason. I do not believe it is right for you to confiscate his phone and punish him when his mother calls. I have a right to contact my own child at any time I see fit."

"But-"

"Miss, would it be better if I spoke with the principal himself on these matters?" Aelita asked. "Should I be asking him why a parent is unable to contact her own child when she sees fit to do so?"

"Mr. Delmas is at lunch, and won't be returning until afterward-" stammered the secretary as she shakily stood and inched toward the principal's office. "But I'll retrieve your son's phone for you and point you to him." She disappeared, reappearing a moment later with Franz's cell phone. Aelita took the device from the timid woman and pocketed it.

"Thank you, Miss. Now, would you please tell me where I could find Franz?"

"He would be finishing up lunch detention in the library. Mr. Delmas sent him to help the librarian-"

"Thank you," Aelita said, interrupting the secretary. "You have been very helpful. Enjoy your afternoon!" She then turned and headed from the office and in the direction of the library, which was in the administration building. Ten minutes later, she was dragging Franz out of the building, lecturing him about why he should keep his phone on vibrate.

"I've told you, Waldo, Matthias, and everyone else in the world a thousand times – _I don't notice it go off when it's on vibrate!_" Franz stressed. "I might as well turn it off completely."

"Then check it every half an hour when it's on vibrate, only turning the sound on when you aren't in class," Aelita said simply. "I don't want to have to do that again. That was too much effort for a Friday morning."

Franz gave his mother a sidelong glance. "Mom, you need to sleep more. You're doing that thing Dad used to do when he would stay up late working on his computer." Franz snorted, making the connection that his father had stayed up late all those nights working on Diitto.

"I do sleep a lot. I got six hours last night," Aelita retorted. "Go get your laptop and meet me in the parking lot. Hurry, you only have lunch for ten more minutes. Wait, did you eat anything while in lunch detention?"

"You mean before you made a scene and pulled me out? Yeah, Mrs. Bates got me a sandwich when she did a lunch run. About half the size of my usual lunch but it was edible at least . . ."

Franz moved away from his mother on his way to the Elizabeth building as she made her way back to the parking lot. She unlocked her van and sat cross-legged in her office, putting her laptop on her lap and preparing the program transfer. She had spent Tuesday evening through Thursday night working non-stop on the superscanner. The superscan would allow instant detection if Xana activated a tower on Diitto . . . maybe Franz was right and she did need more sleep. Her mind was telling her things she already knew . . .

"You won't bring him back if you don't take better care of yourself," Aelita whispered softly.

Franz returned shortly after with his laptop and handed it to Aelita. She began the transfer.

"Mom, I'm going to come home tonight because I want to run some things by you. The other day Nancy came up with a rough idea of creating what ended up as a direct link to Lyoko since we lost the computer interface to Xana. I'll be able to code it, I just need to your help working out a few kinks."

"Okay, I'll come and pick you up-"

"No, that's not necessary. You shouldn't sign yourself up for any extra work. Really . . ." Franz seemed to bite his lip. He was being serious. Aelita couldn't recall if she had ever seen him act so mature. Jeremie would be proud. She was proud. "You won't be able to help anyone if you're all wound up like this. I know that you're not eating properly anymore. Katja told me about how she and her family surprised you with dinner yesterday because Ulrich knew you wouldn't have made anything yourself."

Franz turned to watch a flock of blackbirds as they flew overhead, not meeting his mother's gentle gaze. "I'm worried about you, Mom. Dad's gone for now. You're all that Waldo and I have left. Please take care of yourself for our sake. Dad would want that."

Aelita merely stared at Franz as he did his best to fix his gaze on the clouds in the sky. She reached out of the van and hugged him, drawing her son close and squeezing him tight. Franz was a very good child, and she loved him more than he could ever imagine. It meant the world to her to know that he was worried about her well-being.

The computer beeped, signifying that the program transfer was complete. Slowly Aelita released her son and handed his laptop back to him. "Be sure to restart it to complete the program's installation and to do the same to your desktop after transferring the program. I gave you two transfers, so you could give one to someone else. Do any of the other kids have a computer?"

"Uh . . . Kokoro has a laptop, but she doesn't take it to school unless she's going to work on the newspaper."

"Give her the second copy, then," Aelita said. "She began to shut down her own laptop and pack away the electronics she had scattered around the back of her van. "It's almost one. You should head back to class now," Aelita added.

"Okay, Mom," Franz said softly. "Just take care of yourself. I'll see you later."

"Okay, Franz. Don't get caught sneaking out."

"I won't. Bye, Mom."

As Franz headed back to his dormitory, Aelita started her van and headed back to the Hermitage. On the way home, she stopped at the grocery store and bought foodstuffs for the entire week.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I know this chapter was different, but I wanted to show sides of a few characters that might not have been seen otherwise. The next chapter will be up in a day to make up for the lack of action in this one. Hope you liked this. As I said earlier, I would really appreciate any reviews because I can no longer see how many people are reading my story.


	21. Part 4, Section 3: Valentina

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Four: **

**Two of a Kind

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** As promised, here is the next chapter! I felt a tad evil while writing it for some reason. Not quite sure why . . . maybe I should stop writing at 12:30 am . . .

_Also, if you haven't already done so, please vote on the character poll on my profile! Thank you so much to those who already voted!_

**

* * *

Valentina (Section 4.3)**

Valentina was bored.

The first week of school, the teachers of Kadic Academy had done their best to convince the students to become involved in some of the many after school activities offered. Valentina had duly expressed her interest in joining the track team, since she had run back in America, but track was a Spring sport so it wouldn't begin to meet until later in the school year. Being unwilling to sign herself up for any other activities, Valentina found herself bored enough to ram her head through the wall.

Her Saturday had been spent, once she realized that she had nothing else to do, sleeping. Valentina required a lot of sleep, even for the average teenager, and tried to allow herself at least eight hours every night. (Unfortunately, sleeping any earlier than ten, the required lights-out on weekdays, proved to be futile, much to Valentina's irritation.) On Saturday she slept until about ten, then texted Franz to ask when breakfast was on weekends. To her annoyance, Franz replied that he was at home still but that he would be back by noon before he was missed. (Students were not required to be at the brunch meal, which was served at 11:00 am on weekends.)

At that point, Valentina had carefully weighed her options. She hadn't bothered to befriend anyone aside from Franz, Waldo, Katja, and Kokoro over the past week. The latter two were day students, so she wouldn't get to see them on the weekends unless they came to waste time. Kokoro had muttered something about spending most of her Sunday afternoons at school with the rest of the newspaper staff. She apparently edited the school newspaper before it was printed on Monday for Tuesday distribution. Thursday at lunch an obnoxious brunet boy had bombarded Valentina with questions claiming that he wanted to do a piece on her for the newspaper since she was from the United States. Kokoro had twisted the boy's ear and practically thrown him across the cafeteria, telling him with some rude language that it was rude to interrogate people when they were trying to eat. She had then blankly told Valentina that she probably should sacrifice herself for an interview sometime next week because an interview with an American who had just started at Kadic would make for an interesting piece.

But since it was not yet Sunday afternoon, Valentina had to make do with those people that were still at Kadic. She weighed her options: either wait for Franz to return and bother him, go and try and get to know the timid redheaded girl with the Indian roommate, go and try and find the Waldo kid and see if he was at all interesting to hang around, or go and find Matthias and his group of friends. Monday at lunch that Isaac kid had offered his friends, Catherine, and Marthe, as people Valentina could go to if she needed new people to hang with. After her options had been weighed, Valentina decided that it was worth her while to find new people to hang with. She changed out of her pajamas into a t-shirt that proclaimed her love for New York and a pair of jeans and then left for their room.

Before knocking, Valentina pressed her ear up against Marthe and Catherine's room. She could hear them talking within, meaning that they were already awake. Valentina knocked.

A girl of medium height with shoulder-length silvery hair opened the door. The girl wore a scarlet nightdress. She smiled at Valentina, seemingly recognizing her at once. That was nice, but since Valentina didn't have a clue whether the silver-haired girl was Marthe of Catherine she instantly felt at a disadvantage. Valentina hated being at a disadvantage.

"You're Valentina, yes?" the girl asked. "Isaac said that you'd come to see us. Please come in," she added, stepping aside so that Valentina could see the interior of her room. The girl, whomever she was, had a very soft, melodic voice. As Valentina took a seat on the edge of the girl's bed, she also took note of the fact that Isaac had made the assumption that she would go and see his friends. Though she didn't like Isaac making assumptions about her, she did give him credit that he had been correct . . .

Valentina wasn't used to being bored, after all.

"Catherine is from Wisconsin," the silver-haired girl, now obviously Marthe, said. "Where are you from?"

Valentina's eyes darted to the brown-haired girl before her. Pretty as Marthe was, Catherine was not at all so. The expression on her face, though Valentina could tell it was neutral, seemed disgusted. No doubt she was a bundle of joy to be around, with that face . . .

"I am from New Jersey," Valentina replied. "Most of my family is clustered around Colorado, though."

"I was there once," Catherine said. Her French had an American accent much like Valentina's own. "It's pretty. Sometimes I miss the States. My family moved to France when I was twelve. This is my second year here."

"I see," Valentina said.

"How do you like Kadic so far?" Marthe asked. She seemed genuinely interested in holding a conversation with Valentina while Catherine continued to look as if someone had stepped on her face. Valentina, while a part of her appreciated Marthe's friendliness, was bored by it at the same time.

"It is just as I imagined being thrown across the ocean would be," Valentina said simply. _Well, aside from having my uncle inside me and fighting Xana, but you guys don't exactly know about that._

"Thrown?" Marthe repeated.

"Yeah, I am not here by choice," Valentina said blankly. She didn't care who knew that piece of information. "My parents are forcing me to attend Kadic. They drilled French into me all last year just so I could go here. My uncle went here when he was little."

"Oh, Matthias mentioned something like that," Marthe said, glancing at Catherine for confirmation. "Was it that your uncle was friends with the Stern girls' parents and Franz Belpois's parents?"

"Yeah," Catherine and Valentina said at the same time. Valentina then added, feeling it necessary to do so, "That is why I have hung around with them so much. My uncle essentially signed their parents up as my emergency contacts, so I figure I should get to know the people who I will probably be spending my short breaks with." Valentina's words weren't entirely true – Ulrich Stern had forged himself and Aelita Belpois as two of Valentina's emergency contacts because of what had happened to her uncle before he could deliver her to Kadic. Mr. Stern's logic in doing so allowed him to pull Valentina from school in a pinch – say, if Xana ever attacked . . .

"Ah, I think I know where you are going with this," Catherine said, voluntarily furthering the conversation for the first time since Valentina had entered the room. She twisted her face into an ugly grin. "Now that you've gotten to know those oddballs you're ready to meet some interesting people, am I right? Even if you tried, you'd never fit in with them because they don't exactly make it easy for others to get to know them now do they?"

"Yeah, there's something . . . strange about the Stern girls and Belpois," Marthe said, reaching up to scratch the side of her neck with her hands. "Each is alright one-on-one – even that Kokoro girl doesn't bite if you try and talk to her sensibly – but when you put those three together they always radiate a feeling that I just can't understand. It's as if they are hiding something . . ."

"Oh, you get that feeling, too?" Catherine asked, moving to lie on her side as she faced Marthe and Valentina. 'I wonder what they talk about when they speak Japanese with one another . . . ?"

"What I want to know is which sister Belpois likes more," Marthe said, her tone hinting something slightly sinister. "The three of them grew up together, but boys are boys after all."

"Maybe Belpois will actually ask one of them to the prom this year," Catherine said.

Marthe let out a delicate snort. "As if. I'd bet my allowance against it. Belpois isn't the type to take anyone to a school dance." The silver-haired girl then turned to Valentina, who had been quietly sitting beside her while she and her roommate gossiped about Franz and the others. Valentina, to her bewilderment, felt as if she shouldn't participate in the conversation. The feeling was strange and new to her. Then again, Valentina was very good at participating in that sort of conversation . . .

"I decided my first day here that I would try and pair Franz and Katja together," she mused, speaking lightly as if her words had no real consequence. She then added, mostly to gauge the other girls' reactions, "And I decided to pair Kokoro with Matthias. Although that was before I realized that they did not speak in school."

Both Catherine and Marthe exchanged bright looks, Catherine's eyes bulging with delight. "Katja Stern and Belpois?" she mused. "I can see it, and yet at the same time I cannot."

"Kokoro Stern and Matthias will never happen," Marthe said simply, grinning at Valentina. "You can try as hard as you like, that won't go anywhere."

"But that is why pairing them will be so amusing," Valentina stressed, twisting her smile cruelly. "They will fight each other, and me, which will make it all the more fun."

"No, that won't happen regardless," Marthe said. Her tone was slightly stricter. She cast a quick glance in Catherine's direction before continuing.

Valentina felt a soundless warning from Marthe, a stress that the subject needed to be dropped. She drew a defensive wall around herself, knowing that she had hit a sore spot in the conversation and that she needed to tread carefully from that point forward. Matthias was taken, eh? She wondered if the poor boy knew someone in his ring of friends had claimed him, and if it was one of the girls in the same room as her.

"Want to get ready for breakfast?" Catherine asked quickly, moving into a sitting position. "Come on, Valentina, I'll take you to meet a couple of our friends while Marthe changes. Marthe, meet us in the lounge, okay?"

"Okay, Catherine. I'll see you two in a few," Marthe said, closing the door behind Valentina and her roommate after the pair had moved into the hallway.

Valentina struggled through the next couple hours, being introduced to Olivine and Sara (two girls she had seen in her classes that week) and having breakfast with the four girls, Matthias, Stéphane, Isaac, and Chad. Everyone was exceptionally nice to her, the guys (with the exception of Matthias, who did his best to ignore her) doubly so. Valentina easily absorbed the attention, though was bored by it. French boys weren't all that different than American boys.

The most interesting part of breakfast was when Stéphane and Isaac began to make fun of Matthias for being forced to room with Franz. Matthias tolerated their crap, though Valentina could see that he was using a lot of self-restraint to do so. Was the poor boy an exile in his own group of friends? He seemed to be on the outs with Franz, Kokoro, Katja, and Waldo as well. Even his own little sister didn't have a single good thing to say about him. Surely one boy couldn't have so many enemies.

Valentina's chest knotted at the thought. _No, then again, such a thing was definitely possible . . ._

When Valentina found it impossible to be polite and sit still any longer, she excused herself from the cafeteria where she and the others had been sitting and headed back to her dormitory. She was in no better position than she had been upon waking that day, though she had picked up some interesting bits of information. There appeared to be a lot of drama at Kadic, and she was beginning to be confused by it all.

Instead of going back to her room, Valentina headed to the third floor to see if Franz had returned. His door was propped open, and Valentina found Franz, Waldo, and Nancy sprawled across the floor of the room; Waldo was looking at his laptop while Franz and Nancy had their eyes glued to Franz's. Resisting the urge to hit her head on something, Valentina plopped herself down on the ground between Nancy and Waldo and then turned to the blond boy. Upon learning that he'd elected to study Russian, she had taken to speaking to him almost entirely in that language.

"Что ты делаешь?" _(Chto tei delaesh?)_

Waldo cocked his head in Valentina's direction. "Я не понимал." _(Ya ne ponemal.)_

Valentina smiled. "Правда?" _(Pravda?)_

Waldo's expression betrayed the fact that he was unable to continue with the conversation. He had prepared himself to counter Valentina's initial question, answering the question that asked what he was doing by replying that he didn't understand, but be was unprepared to explain why after Valentina had asked 'Really?' Amused by the panic on the boy's face, Valentina playfully punched him in the shoulder and then translated their conversation into French for his benefit.

"If you must know, I'm working on the return to the past," Waldo replied afterward, finally answering Valentina's initial question.

Valentina could have guessed that was what Waldo was working on. She turned to Nancy and Franz, talking quietly over Franz's laptop. "And you two?" she asked, wondering what was so interesting about the lines of random words on their screen.

"We're trying to create a program that will send people to Lyoko," Franz replied. He made eye contact with Valentina as he spoke. "Only . . . it won't be easy. And in all honesty it might not even be worth it . . ."

"It'll be worth it if you can get me the Lyoko return to the past!" Waldo grumbled.

"We won't be able to send more than one person with the program," Franz said. "Mom was even skeptical about whether it would be safe, possible . . ."

"We haven't got anything else we can do for the time being," Nancy interrupted, taking the computer off the ground and putting it on her lap. "How hard can it be to run to the core of Lyoko and send some stuff back to the computer?"

Franz rolled his eyes. "This is coming from the girl who has never gone to Ditto even."

"I couldn't go to Lyoko anyway – you guys and your mom are the only ones able to get into Lyoko's system. One of you would need to go."

Valentina cocked her head, amused by Nancy's brazen words. It seemed that all the computery stuff Franz had been telling her all week seemed to have made an impression. Interesting.

"At the most, two people could go," Waldo said, filling Valentina in on the specifics of the program that his brother and classmate were working on. "We could load it onto two laptops, but since the program will be a glitchy alpha of sorts they will both need to be monitored at all times. Truth be told, Mom, Franz, and I would be the only ones able to constantly adjust the algorithms and stuff necessary to maintain the link. Nancy possibly would be able to allow a third person to go to Lyoko at the same time by monitoring a third computer with the last scanner once she masters the basic supercomputer programs . . ."

"I _will_ have it down by the time this is ready," Nancy said determinedly.

"This is all assuming we can get the program to work . . ." grumbled Franz.

"What is this - you're being awfully negative, Franz," Valentina teased, deciding to take advantage of the fact that the boy looked troubled.

"That's because Mom told me that, while necessary, this could be a potentially very dangerous program. If something that needed adjusting wasn't adjusted then the person linked would be trapped on Lyoko or, worse, de-virtualized."

"Is that any worse of a risk than we take whenever we go to Diitto?" Valentina asked.

Franz took the computer back from Nancy, and began to repeatedly press delete as her face fell. "Point taken. But we can't save our family if we die."

The conversation died there. At that point, feeling left out of the loop and without a computer screen to stare at, Valentina had gone back to her room and napped until dinner. When bored, sleeping always amused her. She woke for dinner, ate, and listened to Franz and Nancy talk about the Lyoko Direct Link. The conversation was fairly amusing, especially since Chakori was present. Nancy's roommate was under the impression that Nancy and Franz were creating a rude computer game as a joke for Matthias. Nancy and Franz had obviously come up with a code (that Valentina was not in on) to disguise key parts of the program and make it sound as if they were actually making a video game.

After dinner, Valentina's phone rang. Lying flat on her back in her room waiting for the noise in the nearby lounge to die away so that she could sleep, Valentina checked the caller: Katja. She hastily answered her cell and greeted her.

"Good evening, Valentina, how was your day?" Katja asked, speaking in English.

"Boring as hell. There's nothing to do here!" Valentina said quickly, replying in the same language.

"Ha ha, I figured as much. Want me to come and keep you company tomorrow while Kokoro goes to work on the newspaper?"

"Please."

"Okay, we'll be there around one. How are you with learning pencak silat?"

"Learning _what_?"

"Pencak silat. It's a type of martial arts my parents taught me. My sister and the Belpoises know it, too." Katja paused, then continued. Her new tone was slightly edgier. "My dad suggested that I teach you some self-defense. Matthias and Nancy, too – though I know Nancy would be of more use coding that program with Franz and have no interest in giving Matthias any lessons. Dad says that you need to have some basic self-defense because of Xana . . ."

_Finally, something interesting!_ Valentina barely even registered the fact that she was no longer cursing Kadic for having nothing worthy of her attentions. "Sounds like fun. I'll be in my room. Come and find me when you get here."

Ten till one the next day, Valentina sat cross-legged on her bed, dressed in white sweat pants and a red t-shirt, waiting for Katja to knock on her door. When she did, Valentina bounded into the hallway and locked her door, slipping the chain with her key and ID card back into her shirt. "To the gym?" she asked in English.

"Yeah, though we're making the supercomputerheads come with us. Even if they're not doing pencak silat, they should still come with us and get some fresh air. That, and I'll use Franz for demonstration purposes if need be. It'll be nicer than flipping you since you're new to pencak silat and all . . ." Katja led the way to the stairwell. She was also wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, though hers were a matching yellow and black set. The ninth grader had also braided her long hair down her back.

"Fresh air?" Valentina repeated. "It's raining!"

"I know. The air is at its freshest now," Katja said as they entered the stairwell. "We'll prop the door open in the gym and get a sheltered practice space and fresh air. It'll be the best of both things."

Valentina didn't see a point in arguing. She quietly followed Katja into Franz's room, not at all surprised to find that Nancy and Waldo were there in addition to Matthias and Franz.

"Franz, Nancy, Waldo – gym, now," Katja said, switching to French as she reached down to close Waldo's laptop with her foot. "For starters, it's a lot safer than sitting here with the door open where anyone can look in on you. The rain ensures that we'll have the gym to ourselves."

"But-"

"No buts; just come on."

"Why do we need to go to the gym?" Nancy asked, glancing up at Katja.

"Because you and Valentina need to learn some self-defense. Franz needs to come so he can help me demonstrate," Katja replied.

Franz shot Katja a skeptical look. "Demonstrate? Why is that word a synonym with the phrase 'punching bag' in my world?" he asked, half serious, half fighting back a laugh.

"I have no idea," Katja said, fighting back her own smile. "Just come on."

"Oh fine . . . give me a minute to get sweatpants on. Girls leave now," Franz said, shoeing Valentina, Katja, and Nancy toward the door. As Valentina left, she watched Matthias narrow his eyes at Katja behind her back, and then shift his gaze to Franz as he closed the door behind the girls. It didn't surprise her a moment later to hear raised voices in the room. After Franz had changed, Waldo exited the room first, looking flustered, with Franz and Matthias behind him. Matthias had also changed into sweatpants.

"He wants to come, too," Franz grumbled, locking the door to his room.

Katja narrowed her eyes at Matthias. "I didn't offer to teach _you_ pencak silat."

"Yeah, I noticed," Matthias growled in response. "But don't you think it'd be useful if I could defend myself, too? Who says Xana's going to magically leave me alone the next time he attacks."

"You did well enough last time," Katja retorted. Valentina watched her glare in Matthias's direction. Watching them fight was the most fun she'd had all weekend.

"Well, you do have a point there. Without me that Xanafied guy would have killed you, so I suppose I know enough to get by."

Silence followed Matthias's remark. Valentina couldn't bring herself to break it, both startled by the boy's words and feeding off the shock that penetrated Katja's face, the alarm to break Franz's, and the pure bewilderment in Nancy and Waldo's expressions. Too bad she hadn't stumbled into the computer room earlier that last Xana attack . . .

"Do whatever you want . . ." Katja said, sounding weaker than she had a moment before. She headed for the elevators, and Valentina watched as the other girl rubbed the back of her neck with her hand. Hesitantly, Valentina followed, Franz, Nancy, and Waldo alongside her. Matthias brought up the rear.

Once in the elevator, Valentina watched as Katja scanned the basement. "We'll test that tunnel to the gym," she announced.

The elevator lurched to a start and then stopped in the basement. The group swiftly climbed out of elevator, and Waldo moved to the front of the group and confidently moved to a door at the end of the hallway. He opened it, revealing a damp, small tunnel with pipes across the ceiling. Everyone crowded into the tunnel, which required all of them to duck in order to keep from bumping their heads on the pipes.

"This passage leads to the sewers. I checked a couple of days ago," Waldo informed everyone, nodding to a path that opened up on their left. He took the first right that they came across, nodding along the path that would have taken them straight. "That leads to JP."

"Does this path take us to the gym?" Matthias asked.

"Brilliant deduction," Nancy snorted. Matthias hissed something equally rude back at his little sister.

From the basement of the gym, Valentina and the others climbed a stairwell that led to a storage room. Stepping over a fallen soccer net, they entered the empty gym. Katja bounded across it and propped open the door, exclaiming, "Rain air!" as Franz, Waldo, and Nancy climbed the bleachers and woke the two laptops they had carried from the dormitory from sleep.

"So what now?" Matthias asked, folding his arms over his chest and leering in Katja's direction.

"Franz, want to start by demonstrating pencak silat with me?" Katja asked, grinning at Franz.

"Not really," Franz said, shaking his head from side to side. "Make Waldo do it."

"Make Franz do it," Waldo replied.

"Franz, you even changed for pencak silat. Come on, just one little demonstration . . ."

Blowing a raspberry, Franz hesitantly stood and jumped down from the bleachers, landing smoothly and lifting his arms, holding his right arm forward and his left closer to his side. "Fine, but let's make this quick. If I let Nancy have my laptop for too long I usually have to erase most of her work."

"_That's not true!_ That was only when I switched the – um – annex things last time . . ."

"Quick?" Katja asked. As Valentina took a seat beside Matthias on the lowest bleacher, she watched a sliver of a smile appear on the girl's face. "I can do quick, if that's what you want," Katja added.

Franz narrowed his eyes at his opponent. "I won't go easy on you," he told Katja.

Instead of replying, Katja lunged at Franz, spinning around and aiming a kick at the side of his head as she got close enough to strike. Franz jumped aside and aimed a blow at Katja's arm – which she countered before bouncing away and circling Franz. Before Valentina knew it, Katja had struck again, though Franz had somehow managed to deflect her blow to his arm and scrape the side of her own arm with his hand.

The two seemed evenly matched. As Valentina watched Franz and Katja spar, her mind wandered back to the previous day when she had listened to Marthe and Catherine ponder which of the Stern sisters – which of his two best friends – Franz liked better. It appeared that she had correctly read Katja's paled faces and blushes the first day when she had decided to pair her and Franz. And Franz, if Valentina wasn't mistaken, was going easy on Katja. He'd managed to strike her handful of times, though none of his blows had done any damage or determined the winner of the bout. Valentina found this interesting.

"_Effing retards!_"

Kokoro stormed into the gym, a backpack on her back, clutching her head dramatically with her hands. Dark marks from the rain were scattered across her hair and clothes. Franz and Katja stopped sparring at once, turning to look at Kokoro along with everyone else in the room.

"I swear – the rest of the newspaper staff here are a bunch of idiots. Complete idiots. Half of them can't spell or write anything that's not a crappy run-on sentence and-"

"Nice to see you too, Sis!" Katja called, waving at her sister.

"_I work with morons!_" was Kokoro's response as she sat down on the bleachers beside Nancy and reached into her bag for her own laptop. She handed it to Nancy, who was blinking, flustered, at the older girl. "Here, put the superscanny program thing on it now."

"Err, no, Nancy, don't try and attempt that. Wait for me . . ." Franz said, stepping toward the bleachers. He hastily glanced back at Katja. "Let's call that match a draw. It was a good enough demonstration. Use Kokoro if you need another sparring partner."

Franz climbed the bleachers and took a seat beside Nancy, proceeding to instruct her how to transfer a program from one computer to another. Valentina shifted her gaze back to Katja after a moment. For the first time all weekend, she was quite happy, quite thoroughly amused; not at all bored.

"Fine. Sis, come here and help me teach Matthias and Valentina pencak silat. Nancy, come when you can, or at least watch a bit."

"I work with morons," Kokoro stressed, nonetheless climbing down from the bleachers. She was wearing a black frilly skirt, black leggings and a leopard print top. It didn't look as if it was something Valentina would practice martial arts in, but Kokoro didn't seem at all bothered by her attire.

"Yeah, you said that every week last year, too," said Katja. "That was a quick meeting, by the way – did you get to edit anything?"

"Unfortunately. The _Kadic News_ will be tiny this week. It'll just give some basic information – articles about past proms and such."

"That's this week?" Katja asked her sister.

"Yeah, Friday."

"In that case, all the more reason for you to teach us pencak silat," Matthias said, walking up to Katja and Kokoro. "Weren't the bulk of Xana's attacks in the past on days that were out of the ordinary? Maybe that's why Xana hasn't done anything this week – could be waiting for the prom next week?"

Valentina felt her stomach flip. Matthias's theory was perfectly logical. She glanced at Katja, Kokoro, and Franz. They also looked as if lightning had struck the gymnasium.

"In that case, all the more reason for those guys to work on their programs, and all the more reason for you two to learn how to fight," Katja said softly.

**

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Author's Note:** I don't know when I'll have the next section up, but I'll say that I intend to have Part 4 completed by the 10th if not before. I'll be absent for the week following that date, so there won't be any updates till I return. But I will most likely write while away since I'll have my computer with me.

Otherwise, I hope you liked this section. It's one of the longest yet, and originally I was going to have it in two parts but Valentina wouldn't allow me to stop her POV.


	22. Part 4, Section 4: Nancy

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Four: **

**Two of a Kind

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**

**Author's Note:** I've stopped typing 'Jacob' instead of 'Matthias' now.

_Also, if you haven't already done so, please vote on the character poll on my profile! Thank you so much to those who already voted!_

**

* * *

Nancy (Section 4.4)**

Nancy's pillow vibrated beneath her ear. Groggily, she reached for her cell phone, squinting at the bright screen as she pulled it with her beneath her blanket and checked the caller. Matthias. What on earth would Matthias want at 1:23 in the morning?

"Huh?" Nancy said softly, answering the call.

"Xana's attacking," Matthias hissed into her ear. "Get up, we have to go to the factory. And be careful, we don't know how he's attacking yet – only that he activated a tower."

"Okay . . ." Nancy said sleepily, ending the call. She forced herself from beneath her covers and squinted into the darkness, making out the faint shape of her sleeping roommate, her desk, and other familiar objects. Slowly waking, Nancy changed into jeans, a shirt, and a jacket and pulled on her shoes. Finally, before departing with a small silver satchel thrown over her shoulder, Nancy scribbled a hasty note to Chakori on the whiteboard pinned to the back of their door. She had taken ill and headed to the infirmary. Ideally Nancy would be back before Chakori ever read the message, but if not her absence wouldn't worry the other girl too much.

She stole down the third floor of the Jean-Pierre building and entered the stairwell, heading down to the basement. Moments before she could slide her ID card into the scanner to allow herself entrance, thunder struck. The entire building shook, and Nancy flinched and stifled a squeak. Had Xana taken control of the weather? It hadn't even been raining as she was changing moments before.

Nancy swiped her card and heard the basement door click open. She opened it and moved into the basement as thunder struck again. The small windows wrapping the room illuminated, and Nancy heard something loud and mechanical moan. Her heart raced, and, fighting panic, Nancy crossed the basement and headed in the direction of the tunnel entrance. The door leading into the tunnels was extremely heavy, but she managed to pull it open, using all of her weight to push it-

Her cell buzzed in her pocket. Groaning as she continued to prop open the heavy tunnel door with her back, Nancy answered it.

"Waldo?"

"Are you in the basement? Can you let me in? The power's out so I can't scan into the room!"

"Hold on."

Nancy closed her cell phone, put it back in her pocket, and let the heavy door fall shut as she crossed the room once more to let Waldo into the basement. The door crashed into place, echoing with a sound loud enough to send shivers through the small girl. Once the panic in her chest died away again, she found the strength to pull the door to the stairwell open. Waldo threw his weight against it, making the task easy enough, and slipped into the room.

"Did you hear the generator give?" Waldo asked Nancy. His short blond hair was in messy disarray, but he, too, had changed out of his pajamas. Waldo wore his backpack, which Nancy assumed had his laptop inside it.

"That loud noise? Yeah, I heard it," Nancy said, heading back to the tunnel entrance. Thankfully Waldo pulled the door open. He was much stronger than Nancy and didn't seem to have trouble with the task. The two kids slipped into the tunnels. Waldo pulled a flashlight out of his bag and illuminated the path before them.

"The others are probably ahead of us. I spent too long trying to figure out how Xana could have gathered the energy to activate two towers-"

"He activated _two_ of them?" Nancy said, startled by Waldo's words. "But how?"

"I don't know. I don't think he was even able to do that in the past," Waldo said. They reached the turn that would lead them to the factory, and the bulk of the pipes overhead disappeared so Nancy and Waldo no longer had to lean over as they walked.

Nancy heard a low, rumbling moan from somewhere above her head. More thunder? Surely it was nothing worse than that.

"We were so sure that Xana would attack on Friday during the prom . . ." Waldo muttered.

"Maybe he still will. Then again, he might have somehow known we would expect him to attack on a special day. Maybe that's why he's attacking now, in the middle of the night," Nancy rationalized.

"I'd prefer to think he won't attack tomorrow, too," Waldo said simply.

"Well, yeah, me too – but it's always a possibility isn't it?"

Waldo let out a sigh mixed with a yawn. "Unfortunately."

The sixth-graders reached the sewers, and continued to run down the path that spread out before them. Their skateboards and scooters were left beneath that manhole in the woods. That was a short run from where the Kadic tunnel system dropped them off. When the arrived, Nancy saw that, of the five skateboards that usually sat there, two were missing. One of the two scooters (Ulrich had donated his girls' old scooter for Valentina to use) was also gone.

"The eighth-graders have left already," Waldo observed, grabbing one of the remaining skateboards from the hole in the wall where they were kept. Nancy grabbed and unfolded her scooter, riding behind Waldo as he took off in the direction of the bunker. As she traveled, she heard thunder strike above her. The manholes she passed under always glowed with lightning and dripped water into the sewers. Xana had conjured a storm somehow and was wrecking chaos on the world above.

As Waldo and Nancy stopped beside the bunker, they watched as Ulrich, Katja, and Kokoro ran down the other side of the sewer to meet them. There was a parking lot behind a shopping center a short way away from the bunker. Ulrich must have driven his girls to that parking lot and then the Sterns had climbed a manhole down into the sewers. Even their brief exposures with the rain had left them drenched. Katja, who hadn't bothered to tie back her hair, looked as if she had black slimy strands protruding from her head and sticking against the side of her face and her clothes.

"It's a mess up there. Xana'll have the place flooded in no time!" Ulrich said, hurrying into the bunker. Waldo had opened the door and held it open for the Sterns and Nancy. She darted into the bunker, allowed her scooter to fall beside the vehicles that the eighth-graders had left in a pile by the door of the bunker, and then headed to the elevator. Kokoro had already opened it and was waiting for everyone to enter so she could send it down to the second level.

When the elevator dropped everyone off in the computer room, Nancy saw that Aelita, Valentina, Matthias, and Franz were already there. Aelita and her oldest son were on the two computer interfaces.

"We'll need to split into two groups. Both towers will need to be deactivated," Aelita said quickly.

"One is in the swamp region and one is in the alpine region," Franz added. "The one in the alpine region is different though . . ."

"Different how?" Ulrich asked.

"We don't know. We'll figure it out when we get there. I'd like to deactivate that one myself so I can see it first-hand," Aelita said, meeting Ulrich's gaze.

"Then who will stay here and run the computers?" Ulrich asked.

Aelita's gaze shifted to Nancy. She felt herself grow warm as everyone else in the room also looked in her direction, but did her best to overcome the feeling of nervousness that engulfed her. For days now she had been reading how to operate the supercomputer and learning coding from Franz. Now she would get a chance to prove what she had learned – she would be able to make a contribution to the fight to bring back her parents.

"I'll stay," Nancy said, stepping forward. As Aelita stood and Nancy took her emptied seat, Matthias appeared at her side, narrowing his dark eyes at his sister. When Nancy met his gaze, she saw a hint of confusion hiding behind his stiff expression.

"What are you doing, Nancy?" Matthias asked. "You're not going to Diitto?"

Nancy shook her head, unable to keep her brother's gaze. Hints of disappointment crossed his expression, and though it meant nothing to her she did not want such a memory burned in her mind. "No, Matthias. I don't intend to ever go to Diitto. I would have thought that was obvious by how I've made so much of an effort to learn how to run the supercomputer this past week . . ."

"But, Nancy, you'd be of more-"

"Matthias, she has made her decision. You should respect it," Aelita said stiffly from the other side of the room. Nancy threw an appreciative glance at the pink-haired woman, though Aelita didn't see. "Right, there are two towers that need to be deactivated. I'll take the one that reads strangely on the computers in the alpine region and Waldo can deactivate the one in the swamp region. Franz-" Aelita met her oldest son's gaze, watching as he began to argue with her, jumping ahead of her words. "-you stay here with Nancy. If either Waldo and I are de-virtualized then you can send yourself to Diitto, but otherwise I think you'll be of more use here."

Franz glared at his mother but said nothing, instead turning back to his computer screen. Nancy could see the disappointment in his gaze. It would have made more since for Aelita to keep Waldo with her since he hadn't yet figured out how to attack on Diitto, but Mrs. Belpois was keeping Franz behind because she knew that he had been the one to teach Nancy all week. Nancy hoped Franz wouldn't hold his mother's decision against her . . .

"Ulrich, Matthias, Valentina – you three go with Waldo to the swamp sector," Aelita continued. "Katja, Kokoro, come with me to the alpine region. That gives a balance of long-range and close-combat attackers in each group. We should be good to go with that set-up."

Nancy's head raced, doing her best to recall what each of the others' Diitto costumes were. The short-range attackers were Katja, Matthias, and Ulrich . . . while Kokoro, Valentina, and Aelita could attack easily from a distance. She had to have that information at the front of her brain if she was going to be able to run the supercomputer efficiently.

"I'll send the people heading to the alpine region first," Franz said. "Nancy-" he began. "-set your computer to watch mine. You'll be sending the next group."

Nancy's stomach flipped at Franz's words. "O – okay . . ."

She made it so that she could see Franz's computer, mouse movement for mouse movement. He activated the virtualization program.

"Transfer Katja, transfer Aelita, transfer Kokoro," Franz said. Nancy watched as three user cards appeared on Franz's screen. Katja's had her name across the top left and a picture of her virtualized form. She was holding her j-shaped swords across her chest. The third card pictured Kokoro, part of a long object – her fan – being shown in the upper-body shot the supercomputer provided. She was balancing her fan on her shoulders, supporting it with her right hand. Nancy could see ten tiny red and black bracelets along her arm. Aelita's user card, centered between Katja's and Kokoro's, was blank, a picture of a red line with a dot overtop it. This was because she had not yet been to Diitto.

"Scanner Katja, scanner Aelita, scanner Kokoro-" Franz began. Nancy watched as the darkened user cards on her screen appeared to load, becoming colored one at a time as Franz initiated the process. When they had been loaded into the system, Franz finished the process by saying, "Virtualization!"

It was a moment before Nancy and Franz heard the voices of those that had just been virtualized. "Franz, we've arrived in the alpine region. I'll initiate a link so you can see it." A window opened to one side of Nancy's screen, and she watched as Aelita scanned her surroundings in the alpine region. It was a beautiful place. She, Katja, and Kokoro had arrived atop a mountain. The ground of the alpine region was grayish white – the color of stone – and it was decorated with spindly little alpine trees that looked as if they were holding to the side of the multitude of spikes, mountains, and cliffs that made up the sector for dear life. The highest peaks, like the one where Aelita had materialized, had patches of white snow on the ground.

"Franz, it's not dark here!" came Katja's voice.

"What do you mean?" Franz asked.

"Remember how in the past the sectors were always dark when there were activated towers in them or monsters present?" Katja asked. "Well, it's bright here. The sky is bright blue instead of being darkened."

"Did you get my visual?" Aelita asked. "Can you see for yourself?"

"Yeah, I can see. Head to the activated tower now. I'll oversee Nancy send the others to the swamp region," Franz said. He rotated his computer and chair so that it spun around the hologram component, which had sprung to life when the three girls had been sent to the alpine region, to get as close to Nancy as possible. "Go ahead, Nancy," he coaxed.

"Err . . . okay," Nancy said, readjusting her headpiece. "Um, who is in the scanners now . . ."

"Initiate the transfer and then you'll see . . ." Franz whispered, holding his microphone so that nobody aside from Nancy could hear.

"Oh, right," Nancy said, beginning to type. She began to activate the scanner, ignoring now Matthias was telling her to hurry up. Three user cards appeared on her screen – Matthias, Ulrich, and Valentina. "Transfer Matthias, transfer Ulrich, transfer Valentina." Matthias's user card began to activate. He was pictured holding his electrified sword out before him with his right hand and with a ball of lightning with his left hand. Ulrich was pictured holding both swords at his side, though only the top parts were visible. Valentina's card was slightly different than all the others Nancy had seen so far – instead of showing her from the waist up, she was shown crouched on all fours, white claws clearly protruding from her paws.

Nancy completed the program, saying, "Scanner Matthias, scanner Ulrich, scanner Valentina. Virtualization!" at the same time as Franz muttered "Huh. Matthias can make balls of electricity?" He began to type on his computer. A quick glance at his screen showed Nancy that he had brought up a screen detailing Matthias on Diitto. She watched as a virtual image of him rotated to one side of the screen.

"Waldo, get into a scanner. I'll send you now," Nancy said, tearing her gaze away from Franz's screen. After she received confirmation from her classmate, Nancy started up the virtualization program for a second time. "Transfer Waldo." Waldo's user card appeared on her screen. Since it was the only one, it was accompanied by a small, darkened virtual image of him. Waldo's user card had him standing as if preparing to use pencak silat, wearing a greenish outfit. "Scanner Waldo." Both the user card and Waldo's virtual image began to illuminate. "Virtualization!"

Moments later, a second view of Diitto appeared beneath the window containing Aelita's view of the alpine region. Waldo gazed around the swamp. He and the others had been dropped in the center of a bog. The place was darkened and overwhelmingly a sickly green. Nancy could see, through Waldo's eyes, that a mossy path bordered by droopy, large trees with roots that extended into the water led into the darkness ahead of them.

"We have to be careful here, kids. There are places at the bottom of each bog that open to the digital sea. There is only the illusion of digital water here, so stay on the paths!"

"Yeah, we know," Matthias said, charging forward. Nancy saw him race into the darkness, summoning his sword as he went. She turned to Franz, watching as he closed Matthias's window by tapping his screen.

"You keep an eye on the alpine group. I'll watch these guys," he suggested, moving his seat and computer back to their original positions.

"Okay, Nancy said, minimizing Waldo's POV window with her finger. "Mrs. Belpois, how are you guys doing?"

"No monsters in sight – we're presently making out way down the mountain we materialized on because the tower is atop the neighboring one. We need to add coding vehicles to our list of things to do."

"Don't you have vehicles from before? The retrowing and stuff?"

"Yes," Aelita replied. "I did make those prior to starting up Diitto, but they were bugged when sent to sector eight, the core, along with the people that were sent there. I do not advise using them now."

"I see."

"Be careful, guys! There's something gaining on you all and fast!" Franz said.

Nancy brought Waldo's POV back to the front of her screen, watching as a volley of lasers flew by him. She watched Ulrich _supersprint_ to a small flying bug and reach up to destroy it from underneath. Waldo then turned away and began to run down the path. Nancy switched her attention back to Aelita's group as Franz continued to shout at the people he was monitoring.

"Mrs. Belpois, what is so different about the tower you are going to deactivate? Do you think it's related to how the sector hasn't gone dark?"

"It might be," Aelita replied. From her POV, Nancy watched Katja and Kokoro slide down the side of a slanted cliff. Aelita hesitated before doing the same.

"_No_, Matthias, you'll end up in the digital sea if you try that again!" Franz hissed. Eyes widening, Nancy switched her map to the swamp sector and minimized Aelita's POV. She watched as Matthias's marker dragged itself back onto the path. She switched her sound feed to let her into the conversation in the swamp sector. Aelita's group was fine for the moment.

"I killed the hornet, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but if you hadn't managed to grab the edge of the sector you would have been virtualized for good!" Franz hissed, sounding angry. Nancy's heart beat quickly in her chest.

"But I didn't fall, and I killed the hornet, so-"

"Franz is right; don't do that again!" Ulrich said. "You scared us all half to death. Come on, the tower's this way!"

"Look, you attack the monsters your way and I'll attack them my way!" Matthias snapped. "I don't need to be told how to fight like everything else!"

"Matthias, now is not the time to argue," came Ulrich's stern voice. "Just focus on the task at hand!"

Nancy switched her sound feed back to the alpine sector. She bit her lip, having missed something. Kokoro had thrown her fan at a trio of mantas that had just appeared in the sky above them. Frantically, Nancy brought back the alpine sector map and Aelita's POV. Her eyes widened.

"Stop! Don't attack them! The screen says that they're not hostile! They are green!"

"Are you sure?" Katja asked.

"Positive," Nancy replied.

"They have the mark of Diitto on their backs!" Kokoro gasped a moment later. "Wait, does this mean . . . ?"

"Jeremie activated a tower on Diitto!" Aelita cried, sounding overjoyed with her realization. "Jeremie made those monsters!"

Before Nancy could say anything, Franz moved his computer and chair back to Nancy's side, plugging his microphone and pushing a button on her keyboard to pipe the sound through the screen instead of her headset.

"I think we are supposed to ride the mantas . . ." Kokoro said skeptically.

"Is Dad really there?" Franz asked earnestly.

"I – I think so, Franz!" replied Aelita. Nancy watched as Aelita climbed on the back of a manta and as it began to ferry her across the alpine region. Franz let go of his microphone, asking how the group in the swamp sector was doing.

"The tower is green!" Aelita exclaimed. "It's green! Jeremie's activated towers on Lyoko were green, too! Jeremie activated a tower somehow!"

Nancy couldn't help feeling the same excitement as Mrs. Belpois. That Mr. Belpois had found the strength to activate a tower was terrific news! Maybe he would know how to materialize her father and the others? Maybe-

"Matthias! You'll be de-virtualized if you take another hit! Be careful!"

Part of Nancy wanted to switch to the sound feed on her computer to the swamp sector so she could figure out why Franz and the others seemed so angry at Matthias, but she knew that Franz had left her monitor on the alpine region with the sound filling the bunker for a reason. She bit her tongue and fixed her gaze on Aelita's POV, watching as her mount landed her at the base of a white tower that looked as if it was enshrouded in green smoke.

Then, through Aelita's POV, Nancy watched Kokoro begin to glow.

**

* * *

Author's Note:** What would a good story be without a few cliffies? Don't worry; the next part will be up soon. I see two or three more sections in Part 4, depending on how much I cover in each section, posted one day at a time because of my upcoming disappearance on the tenth. Enjoy!


	23. Part 4, Section 5: Katja

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Four: **

**Two of a Kind

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** The next two sections will be shorter, but they will be posted one after another practically, so I hope that makes up for the lack of length.

_Also, if you haven't already done so, please vote on the character poll on my profile! Thank you so much to those who already voted!_

**

* * *

Katja (Section 4.5)**

Kokoro began to glow.

Katja watched as a ball of white light emerged from her sister and floated to the activated tower. It disappeared into the tower as Kokoro dropped to her knees, gasping. Katja hurried to her sister's side and put a hand on her back, wondering if she was in pain somehow.

Then, she heard Aelita gasp, and glanced up to see a figure emerge from the tower.

"Mom!" Katja cried, scrambling to stand and run to meet her mother. Yumi looked just as she had the last time Katja had saw her: she wore her black and red outfit and yellow obi. As Katja approached, Yumi opened her arms to greet her, clasping her into a tight embrace. If Katja could cry on Diitto, she was sure there would have been a stream on either side of her face.

"Katja, Kokoro, Aelita," Yumi said, letting Katja from the hug as she moved to help Kokoro to her feet. Katja's twin looked as if she had seen a ghost – her brown eyes were wide with shock, her mouth slightly parted in a gasp. When Yumi reached down to her, Kokoro hesitated before taking her mother's hand, but when she did she practically flew into her mother's arms and knocked her a few steps backwards with the force of her embrace.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you, Mom!" Kokoro said, her voice cracking. Katja watched her sister bury her face against her mother's shoulder, hiding the tears that would never come on Diitto.

"I am happy to see all of you again as well," Yumi said, gently moving from her daughter to stand before Aelita. She and the other woman exchanged meaningful smiles, but Aelita's expression was filled with regret while Yumi's face mirrored a look of tranquility.

"I'm so sorry, Yumi . . ." Aelita whispered, sounding on the verge of tears.

Yumi took a step forward and reached out to squeeze Aelita's hands with her own. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Aelita," she said.

"Mrs. Stern, how are you – how are you on Diitto?" came a voice from above. Nancy sounded infinitely surprised. "Franz – Mrs. Stern is on Diitto! Quick, bring her in!"

"That won't work, Nancy," Yumi said, her voice softer than it had been a moment before.

"I can see her from Mom's POV and hear her, but Mrs. Stern's not on the map-" Franz said a moment later.

"That's because I'm not actually here," Yumi said, sadness echoing her tone. "I was created in the same means Jeremie was able to create the mantas flying above us now, little more than a solidified version of my former self. But the digital essence that Kokoro has been so kindly holding onto for me has allowed me the senses that you also have while in the virtual world – sight, touch, and hearing. I am still Yumi Ishiyama Stern."

Yumi let go of Aelita's hands and then glanced skyward. "Tell me, Nancy and Franz, how long until the others reach the tower in the swamp sector?"

"How do you know about that?" Kokoro asked as Franz muttered that they still had a little ways to go before they reached the activated tower.

"Jeremie told me, to answer your question, Kokoro," Yumi said, glancing at her daughter. She then turned to Aelita, eyes adopting a serious expression. "I am in direct connection with him now, since it is because of him that I am able to take this form. He would like to pass on the following information. Please listen carefully, for there won't be time to repeat it.

"Now, and in the future if this ever occurs again, Jeremie's tower must be deactivated before Xana's. He does not have enough energy to maintain his activated tower at a time when Xana is not otherwise occupied by maintaining his own activated tower, and if Xana's tower is deactivated before his then Xana will be able to immediately take control of his tower and anything under its control."

Katja nervously bit her lip, jumping ahead of her mother's words. If Xana gained control of Jeremie's tower while it was hosting Yumi's present form then Yumi would instantly fall into Xana's control. Would she be able to fight her own mother if that happened? She couldn't imagine fighting any of the other Diitto warriors – even Matthias.

"It is also vital that you know the following information about Xana," Yumi continued. "He does not reside here on Diitto – instead he hides in a supercomputer of his own creation offline when not initiating an attack on the real world with energy drawn from Diitto's towers. He spent the time he had in isolation creating programs to bug up Diitto's system. The knowledge that I have from Kokoro lets me know that you have already figured out that it is impossible for Aelita and Ulrich to enter the core. Doing so would trap them as Odd, William, and I were trapped almost two weeks ago. You also know that the vehicles we used while in the core were glitched upon materializing in that sector. If they were to be called forth now, they would be uncontrollable. Do not use them.

"Lastly, and most importantly – _under no circumstances should Diitto's return to the past be activated!_ That was the first thing that Xana bugged upon entering Diitto's system. What you suspect will happen upon activation of the program will happen: If a return to the past is launched from Diitto then time will freeze, and you will have no control over how far back in time you jump. Jeremie would like me to stress this yet again – _do not activate the return to the past!_"

"What do we do if Xana does something that must be erased from the minds of those who don't know about the supercomputers?" Katja asked.

Yumi shrugged. "Hope that such an event never occurs, because, unlike before, you cannot rely on a leap backwards in time to hide the supercomputer from the rest of the world." She glanced skyward. "Franz? How are the others for time?"

"They see the tower now and are fighting their way to it. Ulrich broke away from the rest of the group to head for the closest waytower. He wants to try and see you before . . ." Franz trailed. Katja and the others could easily guess the end to his sentence. She could clearly envision the look of sheer disbelief to cross her father's face as he got word of Yumi's arrival on Diitto, could imagine him stopping everything just to run to the nearest waytower so that he could catch the briefest glimpse of her . . .

"There is one last thing I am required to say before I vanish upon Aelita's deactivation of Jeremie's tower," Yumi said. She glanced back at Katja, who felt her heart beat faster within her chest. There was something about her mom's expression that worried her.

"You, Katja, will be at much greater risk than the others every time you journey to Diitto," Yumi said ruefully. "Nancy would be as well, though I believe she has resolved never to set foot on this world. Being scanned into the system other day was the closest she intends to get to Diitto. Isn't that right, Nancy?"

"Um . . . yes."

Yumi took a step toward Katja and reached out to touch her daughter's face with one hand. Katja stood very still, confused by her mother's words. Why was she in any more danger than the rest of the Diitto warriors? Surely Aelita and her father risked more each time they journeyed to Diitto because Xana had their digital codes somewhere and could utilize the data he had gathered on Lyoko to create specialized programs to target them.

"Because of this, promise me, Katja, that you will be careful. Know that I would rather you lived a thousand happy lifetimes than gave your own life just to save me," Yumi said. She reached out and hugged Katja again, drawing her close. Katja closed her eyes and squeezed her mother, doing her best to ignore the nagging feeling in her stomach. She and Nancy were at the greatest risk on Diitto? Why could that be?

Suddenly, Yumi tensed and stood. She turned to Aelita, eyes wide with fear. "Jeremie tells me that the others have cleared the way to the tower that was activated in the swamp sector. Go – deactivate his tower now!"

Nodding, Aelita ran into the tower, disappearing into it and leaving a series of visible pulsations in her wake. Katja watched as Yumi moved away from her, scanning the sector surrounding the tower for something. Would Ulrich make it to them in time?

"When she comes back out, tell Aelita that Jeremie will do his best to make contact again soon," Yumi said. "Right now he is unsure when he will have the chance to do so, but he _will_ make contact again. Just make sure that Valentina and Matthias go to separate towers the next time two are activated at once." Yumi trailed. Katja watched as the smoke enveloping the tower beside her faded to nothingness, and as her mother began to break into a thousand tiny white panels from the bottom up. She looked pained. "And tell him not to worry. I love him – I love you all – and I'll be with you again soon . . ."

Yumi faded away completely, and once her white panels had all vanished a white light appeared in the place where she had stood moments before. The light streaked back into Kokoro, who flinched as it entered her.

Aelita exited the tower, and Ulrich sprinted into the vicinity, glancing around and then dropping onto his hands and knees to repeatedly hit the ground with his fist. Katja watched as Kokoro went to hug him, and listened as she relayed Yumi's last words to Aelita and her father. Katja folded her arms over her chest, unable to rid herself of the uncomfortable feeling that had begun to trouble her as her mom had passed on her warning.

For some reason or another, she was in the most danger whenever she went to Diitto. Not that it mattered – she wasn't about to stop fighting Xana just because of what her mother had said.


	24. Part 4, Section 6: Matthias

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Four: **

**Two of a Kind

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** Okey-dokey, last section for this Part! This explains why I named it as such. As written on my profile, Valentina writes herself. I don't actually have any control over her anymore. –facedesk- Anyway, enjoy~

_Also, if you haven't already done so, please vote on the character poll on my profile! Thank you so much to those who already voted!_

**

* * *

Matthias (Section 4.6)**

Matthias watched as a laser tripped Waldo. The kid slid to the edge of the path and then grabbed the mossy ground for support. He looked up in fear as the hornet that had attacked him moments before zipped around his head, toying with him before it struck again.

Raising his large sword, Matthias charged in the direction of the hornet. He leaped toward it, but the hornet jerked out of the way, instead firing at him. Matthias barely missed the blast, and turned back to face his foe. It continued to hover over Waldo.

"_Do something or else it'll de-virtualize you!_" Matthias shouted, charging once again. He watched as Waldo rolled to avoid the laser fired by the hornet. Matthias's eyes widened as he watched him topple over the edge of the path. Just in time, Waldo grabbed the edge of the sector. He began to heave himself back onto the path as Matthias tried to slash at the quick little hornet above him. He _despised_ hornets! They were so hard for him to kill – and with the swamp sector having so many drops into the digital sea he was unable to rely on the charging he had gotten used to the last times he had gone to Diitto.

The hornet struck Matthias's arm with a laser just as he managed to take it out with his sword. He cursed, shaking off the sting of the impact as Franz told him that he had a mere five life points remaining.

Growling in response to Franz's words, Matthias lunged in Waldo's direction. The kid was struggling to make his way back onto the pathway. He grabbed his arm and then dragged him to safety, shoving him in the direction of the tower.

"You really should figure out how to attack, you know."

"I . . . I know," Waldo squeaked, beginning to run.

Matthias glanced back over his shoulder before following, wondering where Valentina had went. She had stayed back to provide a distraction for the megatank that had blocked the crossroads a ways back, but Franz hadn't said anything about her being de-virtualized. That should have meant that she was okay still.

Waldo and Matthias raced down the final stretch towards the activated tower. Matthias began to wish that Franz hadn't stopped watching the swamp sector for the alpine sector – so what if Mrs. Stern had shown up when Kokoro got close enough to the tower Mr. Belpois had activated? What would have happened if he had ended up in the alpine region instead of Kokoro? Would he be talking to his father instead of escorting someone who couldn't even fight across a hornet-ridden sector?

The activated tower was atop a small hill. The path cut in at a sharp angle leading up to it, a tangle of trees making an arch overtop it. Waldo and Matthias started up the incline, and Matthias began to count the steps toward the tower. It grew before him, and then, before he knew it, a megatank rolled over the top of the hill and began barreling down the narrow pathway.

Skidding to a stop, Matthias and Waldo turned and began to run back the way they came. Matthias made his sword disappear so he could run unburdened, and quickly moved ahead of Waldo. He jumped a tree root as he ran, nearly tripping over it but noticing the obstacle just in time.

Waldo wasn't so lucky.

He tripped and fell to the ground. Matthias turned and watched, frozen, as the megatank rolled closer. Waldo turned and glanced over his shoulder, then swore loudly – something Matthias had never heard the younger boy do.

In the next instant several things happened. Waldo looked away from the megatank and the ground around him gave off a visible pulsation. Behind him, the path changed: a new part seemed to grow from the old, blocking Waldo and Matthias. Right as the new path finished solidifying, the megatank rolled along it up and over the two boys. The abrupt end to the path sent it flying through the air. It landed in a bog, fell through the virtual water, and collided with the digital sea. A wall of light confirmed impact.

Eyes wide with alarm, Matthias glanced back at Waldo as the boy stood. "Did you do that?" he asked blankly.

Waldo managed a nervous, crooked smile. "I guess I did." He turned and jumped up onto the new path, then started back in the direction of the tower.

"You _guess_?" Matthias repeated in disbelief. "You have your mom's ability you nitwit! Why did it take this long for you to figure it out?"

"Come on!" was Waldo's only response. Matthias groaned and then used a running start to leap onto the new path that protruded out of the old one. _Now Weirdo was telling him what to do, too . . ._

Matthias slowed to a stop as he watched Waldo enter the tower. Sighing, he dropped to his knees and waited, knowing that if there were any monsters nearby they would vanish in mere moments and that he now had to wait for Franz or Nancy to bring him in manually unless he wanted the headache that came along with a forced de-virtualization.

Something knocked him forward, nearly causing Matthias to ram his head into the mossy ground.

"What the hell?" he gasped, turning and then groaning as he saw Valentina move to sit next to him. She began to paw at her twitching tail, eyes fixed on the tower before her.

"Is he deactivating it?" she asked in her accented French.

"Well, he's not taking a shower," Matthias retorted stiffly. It was too early in the morning to even pretend that he liked the American girl. Matthias hadn't liked being woken by the combined beeping of Franz's laptop and his desktop, but he'd made his way to the bunker and been virtualized for his dad's sake. _Not that anyone else was at all grateful for his efforts . . . nobody ever was . . ._

"Hey," Valentina mused, surprisingly awake given the time. Matthias didn't know anyone who slept more than that girl – she had taken to napping during English and occasionally lunch. Why was she so awake now?

Matthias narrowed his eyes at Valentina then turned away from her. Whatever was making Valentina so happy, he wanted no part of it.

"You know, the reason we were all yelling at you earlier was because you scared us," Valentina said simply, continuing to act like some sort of stupid cat by batting at her tail. "We'd be sad if you fell in the digital sea."

Matthias snorted. "I doubt it," he muttered.

Valentina poked Matthias in the shoulder with her forepaw. "You will hate me for saying so, but you and I are not that different," she mused, almost singsong with her tone. Matthias felt his insides tighten. He did _not_ want to hear whatever craziness Valentina had to say. She and him had _nothing_ in common! She was friends with Franz and the others . . .

As if she could sense his aversion to her words, Valentina seemed to sigh and then rolled over to lie on her back. The sky around them lightened as Waldo deactivated the tower. The fleeting darkness revealed it to be a light shade of green.

"You have never fit in anywhere, have you?" Valentina asked him. Matthias did his best to ignore him. "Let me tell you a secret – neither have I. I only pretend to. It is so much easier to pretend you are happy when you surround yourself with others. For the most part, you do the same thing. Am I right?"

"Are you going anywhere with this?" Matthias asked gruffly.

Valentina blinked purple eyes at him. "Am I?"

"Don't answer my question with another question."

Valentina smiled. "Why not? You would do the same in my situation."

Matthias tightened his grip on the mossy ground. "What are you playing at?" he asked Valentina. "I know you're not my friend. In case you haven't noticed, I don't-" Matthias stopped himself, growling and then standing. Valentina continued to blink at him, giving him a sickening look with her eyes slightly slanted in a strange way.

_She's figured out I'm not as good of friends with Isaac and his group as I pretend to be, hasn't she?_

Valentina yawned. "We are not very different from one another, two of a kind. We have both found people to befriend, but neither of us will truly be happy because we are different than the ones we surround ourselves with."

Matthias tightened his hands into fists, thankful that he was presently in a digital form. "Why are you doing this to me?" he asked stiffly, still refusing to meet Valentina's gaze directly.

"To warn you, mainly."

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Matthias finally locked eyes with Valentina. "Warn me about what?"

Just when Matthias found the strength to look at her directly, Valentina closed her eyes as if preparing to nap. "Marthe and Catherine, and whoever else is in on their joke," she said. "Matthias, I do not know what you did in the past, but it managed to rub everyone in your life the wrong way. In your position, I would not trust those friends of yours. They do not mean you well."

"What do you know?" Matthias hissed.

"What I know," replied Valentina, eyes still closed. One of her wolf ears twitched slightly. "You know how I sometimes flash on the past when being virtualized? I gain someone else's memories of an event that happened in the past on Diitto when this happens. Most recently I flashed on you, Matthias. But I did not just _see_ your past, I _felt_ it. It hurt, your sadness. That is why I am taking to you now."

"To rub it in?" Matthias asked stiffly.

"No, I would not do that. I do not enjoy exploit other people's weaknesses."

"Then what are you doing now?" Matthias asked, nudging Valentina's side with his boot.

The girl opened her eyes and met Matthias's gaze. A hint of worry colored her expression. "Offering my friendship, if you will have it. You will not try to be any of the other Diitto warriors' friends without some assistance, so I am offering it. I would like to be your friend, because I can imagine what it must be like to need one."

Matthias hardened his gaze. "If you want to help, just leave me alone. I don't need you or anyone else to pretend to be my friend. Just – just leave me the hell alone . . ." Matthias began to move as far away from Valentina as he could.

"Would somebody bring me in already?" he shouted, dropping to his knees once more after reaching the end of the path leading up to the tower. He wove his hair into his fingers, trying to force Valentina's stinging words from his mind.

She knew nothing of his misery.

* * *

**Author's Note:** And the plot thickens . . .

What did you think? I'd love to know my readers' opinions on the plot thus far! Also, I'll apologize for the lack of updates next week. Have some things I need to do . . . trust me, I'd rather be writing. But it would be great if, while I'm gone, I could check my email and find a handful of reviews. They always lift my spirits in a way I can't even describe and motivate me to keep posting more of the story.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed Part 4 of _Code Lyoko: The Diitto Generation_! _~Lav_


	25. Random Placement

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Five: **

**Random Placement

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** It feels great to be back. I'm sorry for my disappearance over the past week, and for not fine-tuning this section sooner. Minor surgery leads to clouded thoughts, and I wanted to be at my best when going over what I'd written beforehand to edit it. Anything less would have been an insult to me, the writer of the story, and to you, my beloved readers.

_Also, if you haven't already done so, please vote on the character poll on my profile! Thank you so much to those who already voted! This message will stay atop every section until I have at least ten votes. :P_

**

* * *

Kokoro (Section 5.1)**

Kadic's broken generator resulted in the cancellation of classes on Friday, for the entire city had also lost power and the teachers could not teach in the dark. To the majority of the students' dismay and outrage, the prom that evening was also cancelled. Kokoro was fine with that, finding herself indifferent to such social events even though she usually attended them. On Friday, she slept until noon after waking at her usual time and learning that she didn't have school. Then, after eating cereal for a late breakfast, Kokoro retreated into her room for solitude. Visions of her mother had manipulated her dreams, and a part of the girl had not wanted to wake that morning.

When Katja and Kokoro had turned five, their parents had them choose sides of a coin to determine which child had to move into the slightly smaller of the second and third bedrooms. (Before that time they had shared the larger of the two rooms.) Kokoro had picked tails. The coin that Ulrich had flipped into his hand landed on heads, not that Kokoro really minded losing. Over the past nine years, Katja had filled the slightly larger room with shelves of books in French, Japanese, English, and Italian and convinced her parents to paint the walls a sunny yellow color. Later, Katja had painted green vines with black roses in the corners of her room and along the edge of the ceiling that gave Kokoro the feeling of being boxed in a cube. The ceiling was, and always had been, blue, but Katja had also painted fluffy white clouds on it around the same time she had decided to add the vines.

Kokoro's room, in comparison with her sister's, was quite dark. The walls were dark gray, painted when she was ten over their original sea green hue, and rather than turn on the light when working Kokoro made a point to either use her desk lamp or cast a dim glow upon the room with a long string of tiny white lights she had taped to the top of the walls. Her ceiling was white, though that was only because Ulrich refused to allow her to paint it purple - his reasoning being that purple was an awful color for the ceiling. Yumi supported his decision.

Kokoro's bed was pushed up against the back wall, her head right beneath the window. If she stood at the foot of her bed she could reach into her closet. When younger, Kokoro had made it a game to get into the closet without touching the ground until the time when the clothes rod broke and Ulrich had explained to her, while Yumi cleaned the gash on her forehead, that she was _not_ a monkey, that the floor was _not_ made of lava, and that it was _not_ safe for her to hang from the clothes rod. Tucked into the corner diagonal from the head of her bed was Kokoro's desk. Though it was identical to Katja's, Kokoro had made it look unique by darkening the edges with black sharpie. Her parents hadn't been happy with her, but Kokoro liked how the edges of her desk seemed to pop more than the edges of Katja's identical desk.

The rest of Kokoro's room was empty (sans a few shelves on the wall between the door and her desk) because Kokoro never kept anything she didn't need and anything she did have was either kept in the drawers that lifted her bed off the ground (Kokoro was the only one in her family that did not sleep in a Japanese-style bed on the floor) or in her closet. She kept her wooden floor meticulously clean not because she was neat by nature but because she often practiced pencak silat alone.

Since the electricity was out, Kokoro opened her window and pulled up the shade to let natural light into the room. She stood in the middle of her room and began to slowly raise her arms into a basic pencak silat stance, then mimed hitting an opponent. She kicked the air before her, then spun around to hit an imaginary foe right before he managed to land a blow on her backside. Kokoro then froze, closed her eyes, and took several deep breaths.

Then she heard the front door open and close, and opened her eyes as she wondered who had come into her house at 1:00 in the afternoon. Her father was at work, and Katja was in her room being an overachiever with her textbooks.

Peering out into the hallway, Kokoro slowly crept from her room. She glanced into Katja's room as she passed, seeing that her twin was sitting at her desk with her headphones on. Rolling her eyes, Kokoro continued down the hallway and glanced downstairs. Whoever had come in a moment ago had moved to the kitchen. She tiptoed down the stairs and, spur of the moment, ran full-speed into the kitchen and leapt upon the intruder.

Ulrich groaned with surprise, then spun around to tickle Kokoro. Shrieking, she jumped away from him and backed into the wall, unable to keep the silly grin off of her face. As Kokoro heard running upstairs (Katja must have heard her scream) she asked her father why he was home from work so early.

"I was too tired to be productive, so I thought I would take my daughters out to eat," Ulrich said. "How does lunch sound?"

"I had cereal less than an hour ago, but I could eat," Kokoro replied, moving to sit at the kitchen table. "Where would we go?" she asked as Katja hurried into the room and then blew a raspberry upon seeing that nothing worthy of her running downstairs at full speed had occurred.

"Wherever you want to go," Ulrich replied. "What about you, Katja? Are you hungry? Want to go out to lunch?"

"Yes!" Katja said, eyes lighting up at the idea. "Let's go to the Mexican place near the theater."

"Uh . . . no. I'd prefer not to blow fireballs for the rest of the day. Pick somewhere else," Kokoro urged.

"Then how about . . . pho? You can have it as bland as you like," Katja said, making a slight joke about Kokoro's aversion to spicy foods. Kokoro didn't take her sister's bait; it wasn't worth the inevitable squabble over defending herself – especially since she was about to go out to eat with her sister and dad . . .

_If only her mom was around to join them . . ._

"Pho?" Ulrich repeated. "Why not? We haven't had Vietnamese for a while. You okay with pho, Kokoro?"

"Yup."

"Okay. How about we leave in twenty minutes? Do whatever you need to get ready before then."

"Okay," Kokoro said in unison with her sister. She hurried upstairs to use the restroom and then change out of her sweatpants into a pair of black jeans. They went well with the red top she was wearing. Kokoro then went back downstairs to wait for Ulrich and Katja. When everyone was ready, Kokoro and Katja raced for the passenger's seat (Kokoro won) and departed for the restaurant.

"Are you girls disappointed that the prom was canceled?" Ulrich asked.

"Not really. After last night I would be too tired to enjoy myself anyway," Katja said.

"I'm happy I won't have to deal with the morons' articles. Nobody under the age of thirteen can use quotation marks properly."

"Kokoro, if you don't mind me asking – why are you on the newspaper staff if you hate everyone else on it . . . ?" Ulrich asked, glancing briefly at his daughter as he spoke.

"I don't hate them. I think the only people at Kadic I truly hate are Matthias and his friends. I just find the-"

"Kokoro . . ."

"What?" Kokoro said, wondering why her father always seemed so disappointed by her truths. "Anyway – I just find the younger members of the staff to be hyperactive melon heads. They all join the newspaper because they think it will be fun and then realize that they have to actually work."

"Kokoro, you should at least try to be nice to Matthias," Ulrich said simply, sounding slightly tired. "You, too, Katja."

From the back seat, Katja blew a raspberry. "Dad, if you knew how mean he was-"

"Or how arrogant-" Kokoro added.

"And had to interact with him on a day to day basis-"

"You would also think he was an ignoramus."

Ulrich sighed. "I have a better understanding of the situation than you think," he told his girls. "I despised William the first time I met him, but when I looked past the fact that he was a bit on the arrogant side of things I found that he was a pretty good guy." Ulrich paused. "To this day, I still consider him my friend, even after all these years and all that has happened between us."

Kokoro did not respond, instead choosing to roll her eyes. She doubted that her father truly understood just how mean Matthias was to everyone else. Since he was rude, he did not deserve kindness in return. Franz, Katja, Waldo, and she had decided that long ago. Kokoro could barely remember why she hated Matthias so much anymore, only knowing that she despised him with a passion.

The rest of the drive to the restaurant was silent, though after everyone had exited the car Ulrich gave his girls permission to order fruit smoothies instead of water. Katja promptly declared that she wanted pineapple while Kokoro settled on the same only after thinking about it for a moment.

The restaurant, along with the rest of the business district, had regained power much sooner than the rest of the area affected by the night's mysterious storm had. Kokoro and her family were greeted warmly and immediately gave their order: Kokoro requested chicken pho and her smoothie, while Katja, like her father, ordered steak pho. After Katja had ordered her smoothie, Ulrich hesitated before ordering a mango one for himself. When his daughters rolled their eyes at him, he said, "What? I like them, too!"

"Hey, Daddy, do you think anyone will look too hard into last night's storm . . . ?" Katja asked softly. She and her family were tucked into the corner of the restaurant, which was sparsely filled at the odd lunch hour. There was no chance of anyone overhearing their words as long as their voices were kept moderately low.

"Not last night's storm, no," Ulrich said. "One storm is an isolated incident. But if Xana pulls the same trick twice then I am sure some people are bound to wonder what is going on."

"That's why the return to the past exists, right?" Kokoro asked. A waitress came and delivered three fruit smoothies to the table. Ulrich waited until she had disappeared before responding.

"In theory. Franz Hopper certainly didn't create the original return to the past with Xana in mind, but it did prove to be incomparable back when I was your age."

"Daddy . . ." Katja began, swirling her drink with her straw. "Do you think that Jeremie anticipated Xana's return somehow? Do you think that was why he made a copy of the return to the past for Diitto?"

Ulrich shrugged. "I can't say anything for sure," he admitted. "But I would like to think that he kept the return to the past for emergencies only rather than anticipating Xana's return. I'd like to think he wouldn't have built the darn supercomputer had he expected Xana to still be alive somewhere."

"Maybe that was why he built it . . ." Kokoro muttered. When her father and sister gave her matching quizzical looks she forced herself to elaborate. "Maybe he had no way of knowing whether of not Xana was truly gone, so he acted as if he wasn't when building Diitto to prepare for the worst. Part of his reason for building Diitto might also have been to create a battleground in case Xana returned, to make it possible to fight him again . . ."

Kokoro was forced to trail as a woman carrying a tray with three bowls of pho walked up to the table. She served them and departed. Kokoro remained quiet as she and the others began to eat, forcing her thoughts away from Diitto. She spent entirely too much time of late thinking about Diitto-related things . . .

"Soccer tryouts are next week, girls," Ulrich said after a moment. He also seemed to think that it would be better if their conversation did not always revolve around a supercomputer – at least for the moment.

"I know," Katja said. "I'm sure that I won't have to try out again, though, since I've been on the team for two years now."

"Well, it will all depend on how many prospective players there are, if I remember how things work at Kadic," Ulrich said. He loved soccer, and had taught both his girls and the Belpois boys how to play. On occasion he had even managed to give Matthias a few pointers for the game. When he had gone to Kadic, Ulrich had always been one of his team's best players.

"Kadic's team is notoriously short on players these days, Daddy," Katja said, rolling her eyes as she repeated information that she was sure Ulrich already knew. Kokoro narrowed her eyes in her father's direction. She knew _exactly_ what he was doing, though did wonder if Katja also knew or if Ulrich was leading her along.

"Daddy, I am _not_ going to try out for the soccer team."

Ulrich set his soupspoon down in his dish. "Kokoro, you'd easily become one of the best players! You _are_ one of Kadic's best players! It would make me so proud to see you and your sister together on the field-"

"You are proud of me running the pencak silat club already – any more proudness and you'd explode," Kokoro said stiffly. "And Coach Zachary knows that he can come to me to sub in cases where he won't have enough players or in games when he really thinks I'm needed. I'll play then and attend the needed practices, but otherwise I have no interest in playing soccer competitively."

"But-"

"Daddy, she won't change her mind," Katja said, sipping her smoothie. "Besides, I know the real reason why she won't join the soccer team, and it's not something we should really discuss in public-"

"_Katja, where the hell are you going-_" Kokoro remembered that she was seated in a restaurant as she jerked forward to lean over the table and leer at her sister. She slid back into her seat and then made a point to glare at Ulrich, seated in the booth beside her, before fishing for a slice of chicken from her soup.

"I don't think I wanted to know, anyway," Ulrich said, failing to lighten the mood. "Anyway, Katja, tell me – don't Franz and Matthias also play soccer?"

"Yeah. Matthias is the goalie. I think Waldo's trying out for the team next week – though only because Aelita is making him. Nancy thought about doing the same because she knows how to kick the ball around well enough thanks to her brother but quickly realized that it would be really hard for her to make the team because it's coed. Any girls on it have to be really, really good, you know."

"I'd imagine," Ulrich said. He then reached into his pocket – someone was calling him. Bringing the phone to his ear, Ulrich answered "Hey, Princess" to tell his girls who he was talking to.

"What did she want?" was the first thing Ulrich said. Kokoro had always found it very annoying to only hear one side of a phone conversation. "Ah, I see, and did William agree? Well, yeah, of course he did. What's the plan, then? I am already taking Valentina for the break in two weeks. Uh-huh. I see. Okay, I'll ask them. We'll talk soon."

Ulrich closed his cell phone and set it before him on the table. "That was Aelita," he said unnecessarily. "And Jillian called the number she set up to replace William's virtualized cell this morning. She's going to be traveling for work during break, and won't be able to come and get Nancy and Matthias. She passed the task of watching them over to William, so-"

"No."

"You can't say no, Kokoro – I haven't said anything to warrant a 'no' yet," Ulrich said, his tone stiffening a bit. "Anyway, it might be in your best interest to at least try and be nice to Matthias. There's a chance he'll be living with us for a week."

Kokoro narrowed her dark eyes at her father. "No," she repeated.

**

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Author's Note: **Hope you liked it. I have been doing my best to set up the plot the last few sections and provide more depth into my characters, too, by describing things such as Kokoro's room. The next section will be edited and up within two days or so.

Also, just so you know – Katja, Kokoro, Franz, and Waldo refer to each other's parents by name and also call Odd 'Odd.' They occasionally add 'aunt' or 'uncle' before the name even though they are not really related to each other in such ways. Since they aren't as familiar with them, Nancy and Matthias refer to the Lyoko warriors by their last names (ex: Mr. Stern, Mrs. Belpois) while Valentina does the same with the exception of her uncle, whom she calls by his first name. Katja, Kokoro, and Nancy use the term 'Daddy,' Franz, Waldo, and Matthias 'Dad,' and Valentina 'Papa.' Valentina calls her mother 'Mama' while everyone else calls their own mother 'Mom.'


	26. Part 5, Section 2: Waldo

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Five: **

**Random Placement

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**Author's Note:** Nobody took me up on my offer of guessing the difference between Franz and Waldo and how the two of them operate computers a while back. Well, this section makes the difference between them blatantly obvious.

_Also, if you haven't already done so, please vote on the character poll on my profile! Thank you so much to those who already voted! This message will stay atop every section until I have at least ten votes. :P_

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Waldo (Section 5.2)**

Beep. _Beep_. Beep. _Beep_. Beep. _Beep_.

Instantly awakened by the combined beeping of his desktop and laptop, Waldo moved to his desk and woke the sleeping desktop to check his mother's superscanner program. Sure enough, the superscan had picked up an activated tower. It was in the sylvan region. Waldo hovered his hands over the keyboard, intending to bring up all the details, when, suddenly, the beeping of both computer stopped. Before his eyes, Waldo watched as the program informed him that the tower had been deactivated and became dormant once more.

"That was strange," Waldo muttered to himself. He blinked at the computer screen for a moment before reaching across his desk for his cell phone. It began to vibrate as he picked it up, so he answered the incoming call right away.

"Did you see that?" Franz asked, sounding both sleepy and confused.

"The activated tower in the sylvan region? Yeah, I saw it for a moment before it deactivated itself and the program shut off. What do you think happened? Did Xana attack – or do you think Dad was trying to contact us?" he added earnestly as the thought occurred to him.

"I don't know. I don't think Xana's attacking – the details provided to me by the program say that the tower was activated for all of thirty-seven seconds before deactivating itself. That's hardly long enough for Xana to amass enough power to launch an attack on earth."

Waldo transferred his cell phone to his right ear and hand so that he could tap his computer screen and keyboard with his dominant hand. He brought up the details of the most recent activated tower, scanning the material Franz was discussing with him over the phone. "In that case, maybe Dad _was_ trying to contact us! He might have tried to activate a tower only to find that he didn't have enough power to do so or something – or maybe he activated it just long enough to send a message. Did you get a messa-"

"I don't think Dad activated a tower, Waldo," Franz said, cutting his brother off with an unusual gentle though blunt tone. "The most likely theory is that the superscanner made a mistake, or that the tower activated itself because of some sort of bug and that Diitto simply fixed the problem on its own. But I'll look into it a bit before I go back to sleep anyway."

"I'll stay up, too," Waldo volunteered, holding out his left arm to stretch it quickly. "Between the two of us, we should-"

"No, Waldo, you should go back to bed. You need to be as fresh as possible tomorrow for tryouts," Franz told his brother. "I'll be fine on my own. If I find anything really suspicious the I'll call you, but otherwise you should go back to bed."

"Really, I don't mind-"

"Waldo, you told Mom and Dad weeks ago that you would try out for the soccer team. You are a good player, and would enjoy playing for Kadic. Don't let Diitto distract you from the things that you would be doing if we all hadn't been dropped into this mess."

Waldo felt helpless. He didn't dare try and argue with Franz over the phone (or in person, either) about soccer tryouts. He knew how proud his parents were of his (and Franz's) athletic abilities. They had always liked how energetic their children were – probably because neither of them had been too athletic when they were children. But the truth was that, while Waldo liked soccer, he liked debugging programs and coding new ones more. He had grudgingly agreed to try out for the soccer team weeks ago before he had known about Diitto. It seemed so pointless for him to commit to the team now when he could be spending his time working on the return to the past or helping his mother to bring Yumi, Odd, and William home.

"Fine, I'll go to sleep. Goodnight," Waldo muttered, ending the call as he set his cell phone back on his desk. He put his desktop to sleep once more and then crawled back into bed.

The school day went by too quickly for Waldo's liking. Monday he had a handful of easy classes in the morning and gym followed by study hall in the afternoon. Waldo was less than excited to see how Coach Zachary, Kadic's P.E. teacher, had decided to have his class play soccer. He and a girl, Sylvie Lockheart, were both highly encouraged to attend tryouts later that day for Kadic's junior team. Waldo lifelessly informed Zachary that he would be there after school.

"If you're half as good as your brother, you're on the team!" Zachary told Waldo, patting him on the back as the boy moved to the locker rooms to shower quickly before heading to the library.

Waldo quietly moved into the library as his study hall began and moved to the table for four tucked in the back behind the physics section. He and another boy, André Blanc, had started sitting there during their study halls. André sat next to Waldo in several classes, including Russian, and Waldo found him easy enough to get along with. The white-haired boy tended to spend most of his time doodling, though he had never bothered Waldo by pestering him for answers in class so Waldo assumed that he still paid attention to his teachers.

"Who taught you how to play soccer?" André asked Waldo. The advantage to sitting in the back of the library in a section nobody ever visited was that they could talk freely so long as they were relatively soft-spoken.

"My uncle," Waldo said, setting his bag on the table as he took his seat. "Well, I think of him as my uncle. Mr. Stern – the dad of the twins I sit with at lunch."

"He must have been a really good soccer player in his time," André mused, taking out his Russian textbook and beginning to look it over. Waldo did the same, though only until the teacher who was monitoring study hall that day had done her first round. The study hall monitors were very predictable, and they only walked around the entire library a handful of times during the class period - thus Waldo tended to take out his laptop and work on the return to the past rather than study during the times when he knew nobody would walk past and question him for using a computer when he wasn't taking any courses that required the use of one to study.

A class of seventh-graders had the same study hall as Waldo's class, though they entered the library about 20 minutes later. Waldo looked up as a couple of seventh-graders passed on their way to the large table by the math books – a place visible from the front of the library – and then as Ivan Hapasky took a seat alone at the second table cloistered away in the physics section. Ivan always sat alone at that table for two. Waldo had never seen him associate with anyone not related to him, and wondered how the other boy was able to stand such isolation. He wasn't too social himself, but he couldn't understand why Ivan would elect to sit alone. His sixth-grade cousins were sitting together somewhere on the other side of the library after all.

Impulsively, Waldo stood and moved to sit in the empty seat across from Ivan, leaving his things with André. Ivan glanced at him briefly, though his eyes remained emotionless as they returned to his French textbook. He once again focused upon it.

"Hello, Ivan," Waldo said, doing his best to smile without looking awkward. "Do you remember me? I introduced myself on the first day. My name is Waldo."

"I remember you, Waldo," Ivan said, glancing at Waldo as he spoke. Like when he had spoken to Waldo before, his accented words sounded stiff and forced.

When it seemed Ivan would not pose his own question, as was typical with conversation, Waldo asked another of his own. "Do you like it here at Kadic? I've adjusted, but I imagine it would be harder to adjust for you because you are from far away."

Ivan seemed to hesitate before responding. "I have adjusted to Kadic," he replied finally.

"That's good. Are your cousins doing well, too?" Waldo asked. For some reason he couldn't identify, he found it fascinating to speak to Ivan. There was something about him - about all of the Russian exchange students -that felt different. It was almost as if they had different essences or something of the like.

"My cousins and brother have adjusted to Kadic as well," Ivan said after another pause.

"Cool. You know, your French sounds a bit clearer than when I first met you. Are you happy to be improving?"

Slowly, Ivan nodded. "I am required to gain fluency," he said.

Waldo smiled. "Required?" he repeated, finding Ivan's word choice interesting. "Well, I suppose your parents would want you to come home and speak the language of the country you had spent so much time abroad in fluently. My mom and dad would probably expect the same thing."

"I do not have parents," Ivan said.

Waldo felt his insides squeeze. He seemed to have dug too deep of a hole, though Ivan did not look the least bit troubled by the thought of being an orphan. In fact, his neutral expression had not changed throughout the entire conversation.

"I'm sorry," Waldo said. He wanted to ask who Ivan and his brother – he thought that Alexander was the boy's older brother – had lived with in Russia, though decided against the intruding question. He had probably lived with some of his cousins.

"Why?"

Blinking, Waldo quickly remembered that he had been speaking with Ivan. "Oh, nothing," he said hastily. "Well, I should get back to my books. I have a Russian exam to study for tomorrow. I'll leave you to your studying. See ya later," Waldo added, standing. He hesitated for a moment and then headed back to his original seat.

The moment his back was turned, he heard Ivan respond, the boy's tone dull as ever. Though something about his words seemed to have a flash of life that everything else he had said did not have.

"See ya later."

Waldo arrived at the soccer field right before tryouts began. He watched as, across the field, Coach Zachary spoke to those students who he had deemed good enough to rejoin the team without having to try out again. Franz, Katja, and Matthias were among the students he recognized. Waldo took a seat on the bench where all the other prospective soccer players had gathered around and waited for tryouts to begin.

The first thing Zachary had the students do was kick a soccer ball around, sending those who had trouble doing so off his field with blunt words. Waldo easily made the cut to the next round, and proved that he could easily pass a ball between another person and himself. He proved that he could kick into an empty goal from varied distances, and then, after several more skill assessments, found himself among the ten remaining students that Coach Zachary had decided were good enough to consider allowing onto the team.

"Last, you all have to try and make a goal while our goalie is defending," Zachary explained, nodding across the field to where Matthias was pacing back and forth in the goal. He was tall and quick, and those two traits made him a good goalie from what Waldo could remember. He had been to almost all of Franz's home games with Aelita and usually Jeremie.

The first person in line, Sylvie, stepped forward to complete the indicated task, though as she did so Zachary waved Katja over to his side. "Oh, and you'll be defending against one of my players as well. They'll be doing their best to score on the undefended goal across the field. Do your best to keep the ball away from them and score regardless of the distraction. Each of you will have a total of three tries, though they will not be consecutive to allow you to rest in between. "

Zachary kicked a soccer ball to Sylvie, who looked dramatically more nervous than she had a moment before. "Oh, and don't worry – you don't have to make a goal to make the team, though one or more would help your chances a lot. Go now, Lockheart!"

Within twenty seconds, Katja had stolen the ball from Sylvie and kicked down the field into the unguarded goal. Breathing heavily, Sylvie moved to the back of the line as the next person stepped forward. Yves-Monique, an eighth grader with blue hair long enough to be pulled back into a stubby ponytail, met him, though was unable to prevent the ninth-grade boy from attempting a shot on Matthias. He caught the ball with ease.

The next four students in line went, with two more managing to shoot at Matthias (if not score) before it was Waldo's first turn. He stepped onto the field and found that Katja opposed him. Gulping nervously as he made eye contact with the older girl, Waldo privately admitted defeat even before Coach Zachary kicked him the ball. Katja was larger and could run faster than him, and she knew how he played because they had both learned how to play from her father.

Oh well – it wasn't as if Waldo would be disappointed by not making the team. In fact . . . maybe this was his chance to _not_ make the team? That way he could focus on what was _really_ important: the return to the past and bringing his father and the others home.

Of course, Waldo had to make it look as if he was still trying to make the team – if he didn't then Franz would know he wasn't taking tryouts seriously, and Waldo wouldn't put it past Franz to arrange for him to be on the team anyway if he thought his brother hadn't done his best during tryouts. Since Coach Zachary liked Franz so much he would probably do anything his brother asked him to.

Waldo soon had his solution: he would play soccer as he had been taught, though he would make all of his plays with his non-dominant foot.

Zachary's whistle blew, and Waldo reached for the ball with his right foot. Of course, Katja reached it quicker, and started for her goal. Waldo ran after her, noticing that she slowed before preparing to kick the ball to allow him a chance to steal it from her. Obligated to take the chance, Waldo kicked the ball away from her with his right foot, then quickly turned and began to guide the ball back down the field. When he couldn't afford to watch it any longer, he kicked it – with his right foot – toward Matthias. He caught it with one hand, looking bored as ever.

_That didn't work. When did I become so good at kicking with my right foot?_ Waldo wondered as he went to the back of the line. As he watched Katja move to sit beside Franz and the three other members of the soccer team that were assisting with this part of the tryouts, he felt as if someone had slapped him on the head: _Katja had gone easy on him to make him look good._ Franz had probably convinced her to so that he would make the soccer team. Then again, that didn't explain why he had kicked the ball halfway across the field with his non-dominant foot.

When it was Waldo's second turn to go he found himself paired with one of the oldest players on Kadic's 6th to 9th grade team. The ninth grader was large and fast, and Waldo barely had time to think before he had stolen the ball from him and kicked it down the field. The boy scored on the undefended goal, leaving Waldo both annoyed and relieved. He really had been powerless to do anything.

"That was disappointing, Belpois," Zachary said as Waldo moved to the end of the line. Waldo couldn't help musing that, in his case, he was aiming for disappointing.

Finally, Waldo's third opportunity to make a goal came. He stepped onto the field, and then felt his heartbeat quicken as Franz stood opposite him, grinning cheekily.

"Oh, this should be good," Zachary said, sounding excited as he crossed his arms over his chest. Coach James Zachary was a large man with a haircut that would have fit in well with any military whose most distinguishing feature was a large tattoo of a snake along his right arm. "Franz, don't go easy on Belpois just because he's your brother. I want to see you two fight it out on the field!"

"You won't be disappointed, Coach!" Franz replied, playfully though painfully punching Waldo in the shoulder. He briefly met his brother's gaze. "Just in case you've forgotten, _I'm_ the right-handed one," he hissed softly, narrowing his eyes slightly at Waldo. Waldo bit his lip. Franz had noticed him kicking with his right foot.

Zachary kicked the ball to Waldo, and he took it and then headed toward Matthias, who was barely even paying attention to the field anymore. Waldo waited for Franz to try and steal the ball from him, knowing that he was giving him a golden opportunity to do so. Franz wouldn't disappoint Zachary by making things easy for Waldo – why wasn't he-

Jumping ahead of Waldo, Franz stole the soccer ball from him and began to run the opposite direction. Waldo had not expected Franz to steal the ball in such a fashion and, angry that Franz had not retrieved the ball on his terms, turned in pursuit. Franz was going slightly easy on him, since Waldo was quickly able to catch up with the older brother that was notoriously faster than him. He tried to kick the ball from Franz, but his brother managed to keep it from him.

"Use your left foot, bro," Franz mused, pausing and kicking the ball back and forth between his feet as he snickered at Waldo. "Actually _play_ soccer – unless you've just decided that you can't beat me and want to give up."

"You're not that much better than me, Franz!" Waldo hissed, running after his brother. He stole the ball from him and began to run back down the field, ignoring the cheers of approval from Zachary and some of the other spectators. Waldo wasn't about to let Franz walk all over him. He would show his brother that he could play soccer just as well.

Waldo felt Franz come up at him from behind. He was on his left, and Waldo prepared to have the ball stolen from the left. Then, suddenly, he felt Franz move to the right. He blocked his brother from the right, and, ignoring Franz's "How did you know I was there?" continued on down the field toward Matthias.

The dark-haired boy snapped into focus as Waldo approached, narrowing his menacing dark eyes at the small boy. Waldo made a point to ignore everything but the details crucial to making the goal. He analyzed where Matthias stood, how much room there was on either side of him, and used the boy's light step to decide on kicking with his right foot to the right corner of the goal. Matthias was hovering to the left, and that allowed Waldo the gap he needed to score.

Before he knew it, Zachary was behind him, grabbing both his shoulders with big hands and shaking him. "You're on the team, Belpois!" was drowned out by the thoughts in Waldo's head. He felt himself grow cold with the realization – something he quickly decided should stay in his mind alone.

He could read pulsations in real life as well as on Diitto. That had allowed him to play better than normal that day, compensating for his weaker leg and allowing him to access his full potential as a soccer player.

_This probably isn't a good thing . . ._

**

* * *

Author's Note:** What's this? Activated towers, powers being utilized off of Diitto – you'll find out in due time! The plot is twisting yet again . . . I'll have the next section posted in a couple days after I make my revisions so that I can give my readers the best I possibly can.

And yes, I am having fun with the fact that the people in the Code Lyoko world can have funny hair and eye colors. Aelita had pink hair in the series and Odd had a purple spot – this gave me permission to run wild, hehe.


	27. Part 5, Section 3: Valentina

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Five: **

**Random Placement

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** I've said it before and I'll say it again – Valentina writes herself. Also, the first part of this section was inspired by a scene in Episode 11, _Plagued_. I just thought I would throw that out there in case anyone wanted to compare the two.

_Also, if you haven't already done so, please vote on the character poll on my profile! Thank you so much to those who already voted! This message will stay atop every section until I have at least ten votes. :P_

**

* * *

Valentina (Section 5.3)**

Wednesday afternoons two of the eighth grade classes and one of the ninth grade classes had study hall in the library, so Franz, Valentina, Katja, and Kokoro had taken to sitting at a table for six beside the wall beneath a window. The table was always lit by sun in the afternoon, and when she didn't feel like working Valentina had taken to watching the world outside as a way of procrastinating.

When Franz and Kokoro decided to procrastinate, however, they did so in a very different fashion. They always lined the table between them with pens and pencils and propped a few books on their spines in the center of the table, creating a field for a ridiculous game that reminded Valentina of ping-pong only with balls of paper.

"Match point," Kokoro whispered, glancing across the room to where the study hall monitor was sitting at a desk in the front of the library reading a magazine. She then met Franz's gaze before tossing the ball of paper in her hand across the table. Franz bounced it back, but before it was able to fall to the floor Kokoro saved it and tossed it back to him. Valentina watched them for a moment longer before shaking her head slightly from side to side and letting her gaze drift to Katja, who was seated beside Franz across from her. Katja was doing her best to ignore him and her sister by hunching over her Italian textbook and covering her ears with her hands.

General silence in the library was shattered as Kokoro crashed into the ground. Alarmed, Valentina glanced at the girl as she hastily stood and picked up her chair, watching as her face grew slightly red as the librarian, Mrs. Bates, scrambled over to her table. Franz hastily covered his mouth with his hand to stifle his laughter as the librarian proceeded to scold Kokoro.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. I must have leaned too far back in my chair."

"Then don't lean back in your chair, Stern. I would have thought sitting to be a simple task for someone your age," grumbled the librarian before she moved away. Franz buried his face in his arms on the table to keep the others from seeing him laugh as Katja rolled her eyes and Kokoro made a dirty finger gesture at the librarian. Her gaze then shifted to Franz, her dark eyes narrowed mercilessly, and Valentina watched as Franz shot back in his seat and drew a quick intake of breath.

"Ouch! What'd you do that for?"

"I was saving your beautiful face from laugh lines," Kokoro said sarcastically.

"I need my knee for soccer!"

"Shh!" came the hushed command from the study hall monitor at the desk. Valentina watched as the teacher's eyes trailed the room for a moment before returning back to her magazine.

Franz resumed eye contact with Kokoro. "This isn't over!" he hissed softly.

Kokoro smiled a bit. "Of course it isn't."

"Sis, you should study for our chemistry test on Friday," Katja advised. She then turned to Franz. "And you should study something, too. That's what study hall is for."

"I don't need to study, I remember everything anyway," Franz boasted, nonetheless taking out his biology textbook from the center of the table and beginning to flip through it.

Valentina became aware of the biology textbook that had been sitting in front of her for the past half an hour. Biology was the same in French as it had been in English, and she had taken it before, so her biggest problem was relearning all of the terms she knew in a different language.

After a few minutes of quietly reading to herself, Valentina became bored again and let her mind wander. Her violet eyes trailed the room, resting on one of the longest tables. Isaac, Matthias, Stéphane, Marthe, Yves-Monique, Sara, Olivine, Catherine, and Chad always sat in nine of the ten available chairs. As usual, Matthias did not seem happy as he sat to one side of the table between Isaac and Yves-Monique, but Valentina noticed that Matthias seemed particularly edgy that day. He hadn't been happy all week, probably because he had learned he would have to stay with either the Sterns or the Belpoises over the upcoming short break, but nobody else seemed to have noticed that his unhappiness had been amplified of late.

_Stupid boy_, Valentina thought to herself. _You are so easy to read, and yet you are too stubborn to let anyone help you when you need it._

Isaac and Matthias seemed to be talking. Some of the other boys may have been, too, but they had their backs to Valentina so she couldn't be sure. Matthias's responses looked harsh and to the point, and he seemed to be doing his best to write in his English notebook rather than engage in conversation with his friends.

Valentina narrowed her eyes, watching as Isaac continued to bother Matthias. She wished she could hear what was going on, but there wasn't exactly anything she could do to get closer without looking as if she was eavesdropping. If she went to join the girls at the end of Matthias's table she wouldn't be allowed the attention to watch Matthias.

Matthias seemed quite annoyed as Isaac as he pointed across the room. Valentina couldn't see what the ginger-haired boy had pointed at, but Matthias seemed agitated by the action. Valentina watched him snap at Isaac and close his English journal, keeping his eyes locked on the table before him as he continued his conversation with the other boy. Then, Valentina realized that Marthe was involved, watching as Isaac began to call across the table to where she was seated at the other end. Isaac's voice became loud enough for her to hear scattered words.

"He didn't . . . poor Susan."

As those at Matthias's table, sans Matthias, began to snicker, Valentina felt a flash of anger toward them as her mind worked feverishly to connect the dots. Susan was the name of the large, blind ninth grader who was a day student at Kadic and required someone to sit in class with her and take her notes. She was not at all pretty and reportedly hard to get along with because she did not like talking to other people. Everything clicked into place. Marthe and Catherine had said that Matthias was off-limits because she, Isaac, and everyone else in their group had been intending to pair him with Susan as a joke. To cruel teenagers, such a thing was the ultimate trick, the ultimate insult to Matthias.

What happened next did not surprise Valentina in the least. She could clearly see what was happening because Isaac had been seated at the end of the long table.

Matthias turned and shoved Isaac out of his chair. When the boy toppled to the ground, Matthias dropped down beside him and began to repeatedly punch him in the face, pinning the other boy down with his free hand. Several girls shrieked, and both Stéphane and Yves-Monique jumped onto Matthias and struggled to separate him from Isaac as the librarian, study hall monitor, and a male teacher quickly surrounded them.

Franz and Katja had turned in their seats to watch the incident, Franz looking thrilled while Katja seemed bewildered by Matthias's actions. A quick glance at Kokoro revealed her to be smiling slightly.

"Well, he's finally gone crazy. I knew that being an idiot couldn't be good for you," Franz said bluntly as the male teacher grabbed Matthias by the arm and began to drag him from the library. Matthias had calmed dramatically, looking almost as if he was walking in his sleep while he was escorted from the room.

Katja shrugged and twisted back in her seat. "Can't argue with his choice of a punching bag," she muttered, once again resuming her studies.

"Maybe now Dad will understand why I don't want to teach him pencak silat. It's a security risk for everyone at Kadic," Kokoro chuckled to herself. Franz also found her statement funny, and snorted to show his amusement.

Valentina's fingers formed fists. "You three are disgusting!" she said. It pleased her to see three pairs of bewildered eyes meet her gaze. "Matthias is going through something really difficult right now, and you are – everyone is – just plain rotten to him! Now, I was not here when you were kids, but whatever happened when you all were little could not have been bad enough to justify how you treat him these days! Do not we all have a common interest – to save those trapped by Xana? Why then can you jerks not put aside your differences long enough to work toward that goal? You all sicken me!"

For a moment, nobody said anything. Katja's gaze clouded – Valentina had known she would be the easiest to raise a feeling of guilt in – while Kokoro merely looked away from her and began to read her textbook. After maintaining a steady expression, Franz's eyes slowly hardened, their cruel indifference striking Valentina. Someone who cared might have been bothered by such a look.

"Who are you to talk?" Franz asked. "You haven't exactly gone and sat with him at meals or in class," he pointed out.

Valentina narrowed her eyes at Franz. It was amusing to see how rubbing him the wrong way had instantly turned him against her when he had been so obviously taken with her, be it for her looks or personality – a feeling Valentina had never once thought about returning. "Maybe the right opportunity has not presented itself," she replied.

Franz then broke eye contact with Valentina and said something to Katja and Kokoro in Japanese. Katja hesitated before replying in the same language, and Kokoro also added something of her own. Though Valentina couldn't be sure, she thought the three of them were arguing.

She turned back to her textbook, deciding to ignore them from that point forward. And two could play at the game they were playing. It was a pity that none of them understood a word of Russian.

Valentina didn't see Matthias again until dinner that night. Isaac had been released from the infirmary, sporting a black eye and bandages on one side of his face. Marthe and Sara were doting on him, and he seemed to be enjoying all of the attention. He was sitting with them and the rest of his friends at their usual table – everyone except for Matthias, who was sitting alone at a table in the back of the cafeteria. As usual, he did not look at all happy.

Franz and Waldo were already seated with Nancy, Chakori, and a boy whom Valentina believed to be named André. Valentina passed them swiftly by on her way to the back of the cafeteria, sure that Franz at least trailed her as she passed her usual mealtime seat. When Valentina reached her destination she sat without hesitation, ignoring Matthias's harsh stare as she did so.

Valentina met the dark-haired boy's gaze with an overly bright smile. "Hello, my name is Valentina. Let us be friends," she said sweetly.

Matthias raised an eyebrow. "Are you mental?" he asked.

"Oh, probably. But you surely are, too, because you tried to punch your 'friend' to death during study hall today. Do you still go to school here or were you expelled?"

"Delmas is giving me a second chance . . ." Matthias muttered, pointlessly mashing his mashed potatoes with his fork. "But I have lunch detention and detention every Saturday afternoon in the library for a month."

Valentina shrugged. "Things could have been worse," she declared.

"No, they could have been so much better. I could have roomed with Chad like I thought I was going to originally and then avoided all the shit they gave me about rooming with Franz-"

"_Franz_," Valentina corrected. "You say his name wrong. It's Fr-_ahn_-zz. Softer than what you keep saying."

Matthias grunted rather than replying with words, beginning to crudely cut his chicken with his knife and fork. "Why are you here?" he asked a moment later.

"I am eating dinner," Valentina replied cheekily, taking a bite of food.

Matthias shot Valentina a quick, reproachful look before focusing on his own dish. "That's not what I meant, and you know it," he muttered under his breath. Even though he was still slurring his speech as he tended to do, Valentina found that she could understand Matthias almost perfectly after almost a month of immersion.

"Why do they all hate you so much?" Valentina asked, curious to the answer. "Yes, you have proved that you can be a jerk, but there must be more to it than that."

"There is, and it's none of your business."

Valentina decided to wait a moment before speaking again. "Do you intend to sit here from now on?" she asked.

"I don't exactly have anywhere else to sit," Matthias muttered.

"Sit with Franz and the others."

"There's a better chance of it raining tacos."

Valentina blew a raspberry and cocked her head at Matthias. "Fine, be difficult. I will just sit here, too, then, for a while."

Matthias met Valentina's gaze. His eyes held hints of confusion, though where predominantly tough and unfriendly. "You shouldn't trouble yourself. Go sit with your friends."

"Who?" Valentina asked.

"Franz, Katja, Kokoro – _them_," Matthias said brusquely, narrowing his eyes at the table where Franz and the others always sat. Though Valentina had her back to that table, she guessed that the people sitting there kept glancing in her direction to see whether or not she really did plan on eating with Matthias that evening.

"They are not my friends," Valentina said lightly, adding emphasis to the last word. "I do not have any friends to speak of, though I have found people, because of Diitto, that I can 'befriend' here. Trust me, I would much rather be back in New Jersey right now."

Matthias swallowed a bit of chicken. "Why are you trying so hard to be my 'friend,' then?" he asked. "Wouldn't it be easier to just ignore me or be mean to me like everyone else?"

"Yes and no. Yes for obvious reasons, and no because I share the memories you have from Diitto. I remember the pain you felt in your heart whenever someone accomplished something you felt you should have been able to accomplish, the guilt that accompanied being struck by a laser because you were not good enough to avoid it-"

"Stop."

The word was barely above a whisper. Valentina watched as Matthias rested his head on his hand, covering his eyes with his fingers and long, messy bangs. As requested, Valentina quieted. She took another bite of chicken, swallowed, and then rested her eyes on Matthias once more.

"Like it or not, I will probably sit with you for a while. At least until you stop looking so miserable all the time," she added. Matthias slowly moved his hand from his face and continued to eat in silence. His face was tearless – he appeared to be good at controlling his emotions.

"Do whatever the hell you want. I doubt I could stop you even if I wanted to . . ." grumbled Matthias.

Valentina smiled. "Nope. We are quite similar, Matthias. Stubbornness is a trait that we both share. Too many of us Diitto freaks do, which might be a source a lot of this pesky drama of late."

Matthias grunted, possibly acknowledging Valentina's point. She let her eyes drift back to her tray. "So, what time do you usually come down here for breakfast?"


	28. Part 5, Section 4: Franz

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Five: **

**Random Placement

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** I hope everyone who is following this story is having just as much fun reading it as I have had writing it over the past few sections. Really, writing this last Part has been a lot of fun, a nice distraction from the headache that has been bothering me of late. It's also such a wonderful pick-me-up to see how many people read my story and the reviews people leave and to see people adding _The Diitto Generation_ to their alerts and favorite story lists. By the way – over 50 reviews? That's _amazing_! Thank you all for each and every one!

_Also, if you haven't already done so, please vote on the character poll on my profile! Thank you so much to those who already voted! This message will stay atop every section until I have at least ten votes. :P_

**

* * *

Franz (Section 5.4)**

Every Friday Kadic bused its 6th and 7th graders, 8th and 9th graders, or its10th, 11th, and 12th graders somewhere for an educational trip (so long as there was nothing else planned for that day.) This translated into the students going on roughly one trip each month. Franz usually liked these trips, but when he headed down to the parking lot with his bag Friday morning he couldn't help feeling a bit agitated. He had gotten little sleep the past few nights as well.

Franz glumly trailed Valentina as she walked over to the bench where Matthias was seated alone while waiting for permission to board the bus. She had started sitting next to him during classes, breakfast, and dinner. Matthias was absent from the cafeteria at lunch, during when Valentina grudgingly sat with him, Waldo, Katja, and Kokoro and whatever assortment of sixth graders had joined them for that meal. She no longer participated in their conversations, and had taken to speaking to everyone in Russian. Waldo even didn't understand more than a few words she said, though assured Franz that Valentina wasn't cursing everyone out when she spoke. In retaliation, unless the conversation involved Nancy or someone else who didn't speak the language, Franz had started speaking Japanese at lunch.

As the biology teacher began to hurry everyone onto the buses, Franz cast a weary glance in the direction of the science building. Katja and Kokoro, along with the rest of the ninth graders, were not going on the educational trip that day because they had a chemistry test. The eighth graders were going alone to an arboretum to learn about some rare and exotic plants.

One reason Franz had been excited about going into the eighth grade was because he would get to go on the same trips as Katja and Kokoro, just like he had done two years ago in the sixth grade. What was the point of combining two grades on the same trip if some teacher could schedule a test on their trip day? Boarding the bus, he took a seat alone near the front. Two days ago he would have expected Valentina to sit with him, and would have secretly loved showing her the things they passed and telling her everything he knew about them. Instead, Franz noted that Valentina and Matthias took the seats three back from him. He closed his eyes and then reached into his pocket for his iPod, putting the ear buds in his ears and turning it on. Franz didn't want to be able to hear Valentina and Matthias if they started to talk.

"Belpois, don't you dare have that out when we arrive at the arboretum," hissed Mrs. Brocker, Franz's biology teacher, as she yanked one of his ear-buds out of his ears be sure that he could hear her.

Franz sighed and then put his ear bud back into his ear and raised the volume on his iPod as the teacher sat down in the empty seat beside him, scooting as close to the window as possible and leaning his head against it. He decided he would rather have stayed behind to complete a chemistry test than participate on that day's academic field trip.

The bus arrived at the arboretum within the hour, and Franz was one of the first people to step onto the pathway that led into the information building. As Brocker had told him to, he stashed his iPod in his pocket as he fell to the edge of the group of eighth graders. Brocker introduced everyone to an elderly lady, Mrs. Bishop, and explained that she was the foremost expert on the plants found in the arboretum. While Franz paid attention (somewhat) he found that his eyes continuously darted in Valentina's and Matthias's direction. Valentina was listening as Mrs. Bishop spoke, while Matthias was staring blankly at the ground before him as if distracted.

After Mrs. Bishop finished her presentation in the information center, she led the eighth graders outside and began to take them on a tour of the arboretum. Though it was early autumn, the place was still thriving with life. Mrs. Bishop drew everyone's attention to one rare, exotic tree with tiny leaves that curled. She called it the Divine Dream tree, saying that it had earned that nickname from the scent its flowers gave off late summer and how its leaves could be made into a tea that would lull even the most restless person into a deep sleep. The Divine Dream tree was one of the arboretum's pride and joys, being foreign, and it required a lot of effort to keep it alive.

"Can someone tell me why the Divine Dream tree has a use in the medicinal field?" Mrs. Bishop asked.

"Uh – because it makes people go to sleep?" answered one boy.

"Exactly! Once a year this tree is . . ."

Franz stopped listening to chatty woman, distracted by a strange scent. The arboretum was full of flowery smells, but this was different. It had come on suddenly, and was beginning to feel overpowering. Franz covered his mouth to yawn, and then, mind racing, quickly pinched his nose shut. His hazel eyes widened as he glanced at the tree, watching as a shadowy object retreated into the ground around its roots.

"Xana?" Franz whispered to himself, instinctively backing away from the group. Nobody noticed, because at the same moment two girls fainted. As Brocker and Mrs. Bishop hurried to their sides, Franz's eyes drifted until they met Valentina's gaze. She immediately noticed that Franz was covering his mouth and nose and did the same, grabbing Matthias by the sleeve and dragging him away from the rest of their class to hover at the edge of the garden with Franz.

A boy fell to the ground as Matthias spoke. "Gah, that smells awful."

"Xana did something to the tree," Franz said quickly, watching as more and more of his classmates fell to the ground. The smell from the tree was putting them to sleep. "I saw a specter around its roots a moment ago. We have to get out of here!"

"We're forty minutes from Kadic and the bunker!" Matthias pointed out.

"Still, we need to get away from the tree. I wouldn't want to be sleeping out in the open with specters loose," Franz said stiffly, beginning to sprint down the path. The farther he moved from the tree, the fainter its smell became. A moment later he, trailed by Valentina and Matthias, entered a heavily wooded part of the arboretum. He glanced back the way he had come. His entire class had fallen to Xana's latest spell.

"Now what?" Valentina asked.

Franz reached for his cell phone. "We make phone calls. I'll call Waldo. Somebody else call my mom, and someone text Katja or Kokoro."

As Franz voice-dialed his brother, he watched Valentina and Matthias pull their mobiles from their pockets. If Franz's watch was correct, Waldo should have been between classes at that very moment – he would pick up his cell phone if it rang.

"I know. Nancy and I are on our way to the bunker."

"Okay, good," Franz said, glad that his brother had been to the point upon answering his cell phone. "Just for your information, Matthias, Valentina, and I aren't going to be able to help. We're at the arboretum on the school trip. Xana's attacking here. He put our entire class to sleep with some tree."

"Then stay away from the tree. I'm almost at the bunker now. The superscan went off almost fifteen minutes ago, so he still seems to have a slow start unless you called me late. Bye now."

Franz did not bother saying goodbye to Waldo – his little brother had already ended the phone conversation on his end. It always amazed Franz to see how serious that kid could become in a crisis. Shoving his cell back into his pocket, Franz turned to Valentina and Matthias. Matthias had, presumably, texted either Katja or Kokoro, because Valentina was finishing up a conversation with his mother.

"She didn't hear the alarm go off because she was in the kitchen, but she's headed to the bunker now," Valentina informed the others.

"I didn't get a response from Katja or Kokoro yet. I sent them both the same text saying that Xana was attacking us at the arboretum," Matthias added.

"Okay, that works," Franz said, letting his gaze wonder back to the spot where his classmates had collapsed around the Divine Dream tree. He narrowed his eyes, mind racing. Slowly, he began to step backwards, adrenaline rushing through his veins. "Guys, we have a problem. It's not just the tree that Xana has messed with – some of our classmates aren't lying in the grass anymore."

"What?" Valentina asked as Matthias swore. "Damn, you mean he made our classmates into electrified freaks?"

"Yeah, let's say that," Franz said, turning and scanning the woods. He couldn't be sure, but he thought that Marthe, Isaac, and Stéphane had been the ones to vanish. He had seen Marthe collapse next to Catherine, and could clearly see that Catherine was now slumped alone next to a potted plant. "And they'll be coming after us, so we should probably run."

Valentina didn't need to be asked twice, she took off deeper into the woods. Franz had to run at his fastest to keep up, and he could tell that Matthias was a few strides behind him as he leapt fallen logs and wove in and out between the trees and their low-lying branches. Without warning, Valentina stopped, and Franz did the same once he reached her side. Matthias slowed to a stop beside them, beginning to say something but both Valentina and Franz shushed him at the same time.

_They were approaching._

Franz, Matthias, and Valentina stood back to back, each taking 120 degrees of the circle to scan. Heart racing, Franz prepared to fight, knowing that a battle was inevitable. He just hoped that nothing horrible would happen. There was no return to the past to suck them out of a dirty mess. The Diitto warriors did not have the same luxury that the Lyoko warriors had.

"Matthias, there is something I need to tell you-"

Out of nowhere, Isaac, eyes popping with the mark of Lyoko, moved toward the group in a blur. Franz ducked before Valentina to trip him as he approached, and Matthias took the opportunity to kick Isaac in the stomach while he was down.

"Is this really the time?" Matthias asked. Marthe appeared at his side, knocking the dark-haired boy across the clearing. He slid to a stop again, then whirled as Stéphane nearly hit him with a handful of purplish-white lightning covering his fist.

"Yeah, it is," Franz said, leaping backwards as Isaac launched himself at him. He picked up a stick and used it to jab at the ginger-haired boy, watching as he flickered like a hologram with impact. "According to the supercomputer, you have another self-created program aside from _electric snake_. It's called _electrify_."

Marthe struck Valentina, and she screamed as she flew backwards and hit a tree. Both Franz and Matthias paused for a second, and then Franz made the first move to counter Marthe before she could strike Valentina again, leaving Matthias darting about to avoid Stéphane's blows.

"Great, Franz, just great! How does this help us now?" Matthias asked, his voice raised above the sound of the battle. As they attacked, Isaac, Marthe, and Stéphane made harsh animal-like sounds, and the ground was littered with crunchy natural debris.

"You should be able to use the program now, Matthias!" Franz screamed back. "The supercomputer says that the program can be accessed at all times!"

In his shock, Matthias stood still and gaped at Franz. His lack of focus proved to be what Stéphane needed to strike, bowling him over and beginning to choke him. Franz tried for Matthias's side, but Isaac moved to block his path.

"Matthias!" Valentina screamed, twisting out of reach of Marthe and also trying to reach the dark-haired boy's side. Isaac whirled upon her, and Franz took the opportunity to kick him in the back. Isaac fell to the ground, shimmering, and remained still. Marthe then leapt upon Franz from behind, pinning him to the ground.

Out of the corner of his eye, Franz watched Valentina stand, torn, between him and Matthias. She was frozen for some reason. Franz wanted to shout at her to do something, even if it was to help Matthias, when he heard Stéphane groan in agony. The boy flew over Franz and Marthe, and landed on the ground behind them. Black sparks with a blue outline engulfed him as he shimmered.

Marthe hissed at Franz and then punched him in the stomach, freeing his pinned right arm. Though pain shot throughout his entire body, Franz managed to find the strength to hit back and roll Marthe off of him. Once she was on his side, he used both feet to kick her in the stomach, and the force of the blow caused her to release his other arm and scoot backwards in the dirt. She remained still, and Franz forced himself to his feet despite the spasm of pain that accompanied the action.

"Are they out for good?" Valentina asked, moving to stand beside Franz at the same time as Matthias. The other boy's hand sparked black and blue, hints of his previous attack lingering as he took deep breaths and scanned the area in silence.

"I don't know," Franz admitted. "If they are, then we need to get them back to everyone else. We also need to get back before anyone notices we are gone."

"Nobody will notice until they wake up, and even if the others deactivate the tower that won't be until after the tree stuff has worked through their system," Matthias mumbled under his breath. "I don't want to touch these guys until we can be sure that the are no longer under Xana's control." Matthias then reached into his pocket and checked his cell phone. "The Sterns got my messages," he said simply before pocketing the device once more.

"Someone should tell us when the tower is deactivated," Valentina pointed out.

"Ideally," Franz said. Now, all he, Valentina, and Matthias could do was wait for that to happen.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This section is up earlier than I planned it to be because I realized I won't have time to upload again until maybe Tuesday or at the earliest Monday evening. Unfortunately this means that I won't be able to upload section 5.5 until that time now. Until I return, I hope that everyone is happy with this latest chapter!


	29. Part 5, Section 5: Nancy

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Five: **

**Random Placement

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** We learn why this Part is thus named in this section. :P

_Okay, I give up. Those who have voted are the ones who are going to vote on the poll I've been mentioning for ages . . . I will just make do with the data gathered thus far. Once again, thank you to those who have voted – your input is greatly valued! The annoying messages stop here._

**

* * *

Nancy (Section 5.5)**

Nancy and Waldo reached the bunker before anyone else. Waldo's laptop, which he had taken to carrying around with him, (and for good reason) had begun to beep during the last few minutes of their class. Luckily Waldo had silenced it before their teacher could pinpoint the source of the strange noise, and proceeded to fuse his head with his desk. As class had dismissed, their teacher had noticed Waldo slumped over and asked if he had taken ill. Waldo had shrugged, and, as planned, Nancy had quickly agreed to escort him to the infirmary. They had slipped unnoticed into the woods and continued on their way to the bunker at that point.

"The activated tower is in the arctic sector," Waldo explained as he took a seat at one of the two computers in the control room. Nancy hovered over his shoulder, watching as Waldo flew through screens and windows faster than she could keep up. One day she _would_ be able to keep up.

"I don't think you should go without an escort," Nancy said. "We should wait until someone else gets here."

"Katja and Kokoro are in the middle of a double period chemistry test, and the eighth graders aren't coming because they are on a field trip," Waldo said quickly, bringing up the screen for automatic delayed virtualization. "Unless you plan on coming to Diitto, too, I'm going to go ahead alone."

Nancy stood still, biting her lip nervously. "I suppose you'll be okay if I monitor you and give you a heads up if any monsters come along," she admitted softy.

"Yeah, exactly," Waldo said, activating the automatic virtualization process. "With Xana's slow-start, we can't really afford to wait for someone else to get here. He'll just get more powerful as time passes." Standing, Waldo headed back into the elevator to cross over to the scanner room. Nancy watched him go, and then hesitantly took a seat in Waldo's vacated chair. She put on the headset and then centered the window monitoring Waldo's time-activated virtualization process. Waldo's user card flashed onto her screen, and with it the darkened virtual image of him. Both lightened as Waldo was transferred and scanned. A few seconds after Nancy expected he had landed, a visual window popped up on her screen. Nancy closed the virtualization window and maximized Waldo's POV as he asked her "What direction is the tower?"

"Uh, let me check . . ." Nancy said, quickly bringing up the map of the arctic sector. She found the activated tower, glowing red, and then zoomed out in search of Waldo. He was nowhere to be found in the vicinity of the tower. A quick glance at his POV assured Nancy that Waldo was somewhere in the arctic sector. Giving up, Nancy manually had the map focus in on Waldo.

"Why did you virtualize yourself onto the other side of the sector?" Nancy asked, having the map plot Waldo's course to the activated tower. He was nowhere near it, and several large cliffs blocked his way to the tower, which was located on much higher terrain.

"What? I virtualized myself as close as I could to the tower!" Waldo replied, alarmed. "Where is it in relation to me?"

"Far east," Nancy replied.

"But . . . I put myself as close to the tower as possible . . ."

"Maybe the automatic virtualization process is buggy?" Nancy suggested.

"No, it isn't. I would have noticed a bug while I was inputting the coordinates earlier. At least, I think I would have . . ."

"I'll glance at the program again to see if there is anything wrong," Nancy said. "You should probably start walking . . ."

"Yeah, probably . . ." came Waldo's less than enthusiastic response. Nancy watched as he began to run eastward, flying past bits of rock and mounds of virtual snow.

The redheaded girl brought up the automatic virtualization program and began to scan it for bugs. She didn't know enough about coding to catch anything but the most blatantly obvious of errors, but she couldn't just sit back and twiddle her thumbs while Waldo crossed the sector.

An alarm on the supercomputer went off, and Nancy checked the cameras just in time to watch Aelita enter the bunker. She toggled her microphone to carry her voice throughout the bunker and to receive sounds from other rooms.

"Mrs. Belpois, when Waldo sent himself to Diitto earlier he ended up halfway across the sector away from the activated tower," she said quickly. "Do you think you could glance at the program before you go to Diitto."

"Of course," was Aelita's response. "Provided Waldo isn't in any immediate danger."

"My screen tells me that the only monsters in the arctic sector are surrounding the activated tower. Waldo's still a good trek from that location."

The elevator deposited Aelita in the computer room, and she swiftly moved to the empty chair and computer interface. "Waldo?" she said, putting on her headset. "I'm going to glance at the automatic virtualization program for a moment, then I'll join you on Diitto."

"Okay, Mom," came Waldo's response.

Nancy monitored Waldo's movement as she heard Aelita type on her keyboard. A few minutes later the woman stood and moved to Nancy's side.

"I didn't see anything wrong with the program, Nancy. Waldo must have just made a mistake while sending himself earlier. I've set things up so that I'll be automatically virtualized in just under two minutes, giving myself Waldo's present coordinates. Unless there really is a bug in the program, I should virtualize close by him."

"Okay, I'll tell him to stop moving until you arrive," Nancy said as Aelita made her way to the scanner room. Nancy repeated her conversation with Mrs. Belpois to Waldo, flinching, as he shouted "_I didn't input the wrong coordinates!_" in his defense.

Right when Aelita said it would, the automatic virtualization process kicked in to send her to Diitto. Nancy watched her user card and virtual image flash onto the screen. The top portion of Aelita's user card showed her wearing a leaf circlet and her pink and green tunic with one arm crossed over her chest. On her visible hand was a pink device that looked similar to a glove at first glance, though differed slightly in design – encircling part of Aelita's hand while still allowing her the use of her fingers. Behind Aelita a portion of a pair of pink wings could be seen.

The automatic virtualization process ended, and Nancy watched as Aelita sent back her own visual and placed the woman's POV beside her son's.

"Did my mom virtualize herself yet?" Waldo asked.

"Yes," Nancy said. She began to manipulate the map of the arctic sector in search of Aelita. Clearly she had not virtualized anywhere near Waldo. The automatic virtualization program had once again messed up . . .

"I triple checked my coordinates," Aelita said, sounding confused as she looked around the sector. "Nancy, where did I end up? Oh . . ." Aelita's gaze fell upon the activated tower, not 200 meters from her present location. In the distance, a dozen large red monsters patrolled the base of the structure. The nearest of these monsters took note of Aelita and began to charge in her direction. Hastily, Aelita tapped the device on her right hand with her left and then leapt into the air. Nancy figured that she had begun to fly with the wings that the device gave her.

"You're by the activated tower, Mrs. Belpois. Waldo is west of your location, maybe nine hundred meters away. But he has two more cliffs that he needs to climb to reach you."

"I'll head to him," Aelita said. "I should be able to lift him over the cliffs."

"Nancy, where is my mom?"

Realizing that Waldo could not hear Aelita when she spoke, Nancy quickly filled Waldo in on what had happened. She kept her eyes glued to the map, watching as Aelita streaked through the air toward her son. She soon reached Waldo and landed on the ground beside him.

"What's wrong with the automatic virtualization program?" Waldo asked his mother.

"I don't know – but it malfunctioned twice now, so until we figure out what's wrong with it I think we should only use the manual virtualization program," Aelita rationalized. "Do you hear me, Nancy?"

"Yeah, I hear you. Nobody else would be able to send themselves anyway. Franz is stuck at the arboretum."

"Fair point," Aelita said, her POV showing Waldo. "Come on, we should get back to the tower. Hopefully by then someone else will show, otherwise we might have a problem. There were twelve krabbes guarding the place."

Nancy jerked as her cell phone began to vibrate. She checked her inbox and found that Katja had sent her a text message.

'_Finished my test early. Heading to the bunker. Kokoro will come when she can.' – Katja_

"Katja just informed me that she'll be here soon," Nancy told Aelita and Waldo. "When you get to the tower, just sit tight until she arrives."

Aelita and Waldo muttered acknowledgement to Nancy's words and continued on their way to the tower. Since Aelita did not have the ability to carry Waldo the entire way, she only lifted him over the cliffs that blocked their path. As Nancy waited for Katja to arrive, she brought up the manual virtualization program and set it up, checking that she was inputting the coordinates of the activated tower at least six times before the supercomputer informed her that someone had entered the bunker. Katja headed straight for the scanner room.

"Transfer Katja, scanner Katja, virtualization!" Nancy said as she walked through each step of the virtualization program. She had the map center on Katja the moment the ninth-grader landed on Diitto, and when she saw her location Nancy simply goggled at the screen. Sighing, she muttered "It's not just the automatic virtualization program that's glitchy. Katja landed about four hundred meters north of the activated tower, and I did all that I could to try and land her closer."

Waldo and Aelita had reached the edge of the clearing that the activated tower was in. Nancy could see them crouching beside a large rock for cover. "Wait . . . I think I know why we keep on being placed randomly throughout the sector when we are virtualized . . ." Waldo muttered. His words were drowned out as Katja asked where everyone else was.

"You were virtualized north of the tower. Head south," Nancy told Katja. She then switched her attention back to the Belpoises. "What were you saying, Waldo?"

"I remember that," Aelita said, responding to whatever Waldo had said earlier. "Though when I checked the details provided to me by the superscan I just passed off the activated tower as a glitch in the system."

"No, I'm fairly sure that Xana activated that tower earlier in the week and that with the momentary power he gained he did something to the virtualization process. It's a core program, so he couldn't tamper with it too badly in such a short amount of time, but in the thirty-seven seconds he had Xana must have messed up the coordinate system to prevent us from controlling where we land when virtualized."

"If that's true, then Xana has managed to find a way to be even more irritable than normal," Aelita hissed, staring in the direction of the activated tower. "We might need to code some new vehicles – there's no guarantee that we'll be able to fix whatever Xana did to the programs – especially since I didn't see anything when I looked at the coding of the automatic virtualization program back at the bunker. Xana's intent was to make it as difficult as possible for us to deactivate his towers – if we have to run across the sector every time we are virtualized then each tower will take dramatically longer to deactivate."

"I reached the clearing – can you point me in the direction of the others?" Katja asked Nancy.

Nancy blinked in surprise. Katja had made very good time traveling – which, when she thought about it, wasn't all too surprising given she could activate the program _blur_ when she needed to. That program made her even faster than her father. "Head around the edge of the clearing, you'll find them soon," Nancy replied. "Mrs. Belpois, Waldo – Katja is coming!"

"Do you think Kokoro will make it in time to help us?" Waldo asked Nancy.

"No, she was only halfway through her test when I left. And chemistry isn't her strong point," responded Katja. She had reached the others in record time. "It's just us since the eighth graders are stuck on their trip."

"That must be why Xana chose this morning to attack," Aelita said. "He has a way of knowing where we are, and is able to plan his attacks accordingly."

"If I hadn't had that test, it would just be you two and Nancy here to defend against Xana – especially since my dad works on weekdays," Katja said. Nancy watched from two points of views as Katja turned to face the tower. "Only one of you needs to make it inside. I imagine my speed will allow me to take out a couple of the krabbes before they can strike back, but that's all I've got so far for a plan."

"Waldo, you inherited my ability to manipulate the terrain on Diitto," Aelita began. "That could come in useful - especially since we are presently in the arctic sector. This sector was modeled after Lyoko's polar region – it's basic skeleton is the same. My creativity should work here along with your originality."

"And you can fly," Waldo added.

"Yes, I can. But if I'm hit my wings will vanish, and I don't think I could make it past the tower's guards without being struck at least once," Aelita said.

"So we need to eliminate more than a couple of those things before either of you can make it into the tower," Katja said.

"You probably have the best chance of deactivating the tower . . ." Waldo muttered barely loud enough for Nancy to hear.

"Now, that's not true," Aelita replied, consoling her son. "How about this – we both head for the tower and whoever seems to have the better shot of making it there first gets to deactivate the tower while the others back them up."

"Okay . . ." came Waldo's less than eager response.

"In that case, the sooner we move, the better," Katja rationalized. She looked in the direction of the tower. "I'll go first. _Blur_!" Katja vanished from sight, drawing her j-shaped dagger-like swords as she went. Via Waldo's POV, Nancy watched as Aelita smiled and then shook her head slightly from side to side.

"Whenever she does something impulsive, I am reminded of her father. Same thing with Kokoro," Aelita said simply. "Come on, Waldo."

The windows with Waldo's and Aelita's POVs became blurred as they moved quickly in the direction of the sector. Nancy gripped the keyboard in trepidation, watching as Katja managed to take out two krabbes before a laser struck her. She managed to strike a third monster before deciding to take a more reserved approach. For a brief moment in Waldo's POV, Nancy watched as Katja's otherwise useless wings seemed to expand and encircle her, hardening into a yellow cocoon. According to the supercomputer, she had activated the program _cocoon_ to shield herself momentarily from attack.

From Aelita's POV, Nancy watched the woman shoot pink orbs, energy fields, at the nearest krabbe. She hit it, though it did not de-virtualized and began to shoot lasers in her direction. Aelita hit her wing device and took to the air . . .

The supercomputer made a strange beeping sound. Nancy tore her gaze away from the POVs to tentatively prod the newest window to appear. It was a communication screen of sorts. Green lettering had sported a single word.

_Franz?_

Nancy stared blankly at the screen for a moment before realizing that the line beneath the word 'Franz' was flashing, waiting for someone to respond. Tentatively, she began to type.

_No, Nancy._

White lettering appeared on the dark background of the communication screen beneath the green lettering after Nancy inputted her response. Instantly, more green lettering appeared.

_Dunbar?_

_Yes._

_This is Jeremie Belpois._

A feeling of numbness crept through Nancy. She wondered what she should do – Aelita was fighting krabbes, and if she said anything Nancy risked distracting her. Besides, she didn't even understand how Mr. Belpois was contacting her. Was it even Mr. Belpois? He hadn't activated a tower anywhere. Did he have the energy and ability to do such a thing? Or was Xana trying to trick her?

_Please pass on the following to Aelita: Xana recently planted a bug in the virtualization program. It would be unwise to attempt to remove it – instead focus on materializing William, Odd, and Yumi. _

_Also, because it would be problematic if Xana continues to alter the supercomputer's programs as he has been doing, I will attempt a patch that should keep him out of the system. The next time Xana attacks I will activate a tower. Only then, when he is otherwise occupied, will I be able to make my changes to the supercomputer. I will require at least fifteen minutes to do so._

After Nancy had caught up with the volume of words that flashed onto her screen, she hastily typed a response.

_I will tell the others._

Seconds after her response went through, the chat screen disappeared. Nancy let out a startled little squeak, and then, as she heard Katja scream, switched her attention back to the battle in the arctic sector. Katja had just been de-virtualized. Waldo had 80 life points left while Aelita had 60.

Nancy hastily relayed this information to the two still on Diitto as Waldo was hit in the chest with a laser, bringing him down to 50 life points. "Be careful!" Nancy said as the elevator door opened and Katja stumbled into the room. She dropped to her knees beside Nancy, gripping her stomach with one arm.

"I thought you didn't get hurt when you were hit on Diitto?" Nancy said, alarmed by the look of agony on Katja's face.

"I wouldn't say we get hurt – but it's mildly painful to be forcibly de-virtualized. You should try it sometime," she then added, trying to sound amusing. Nancy felt herself shiver as she turned back to the computer monitor.

Waldo made it into the activated tower as Aelita was de-virtualized. Nancy and Katja watched as he walked to the center of the tower and rose to a platform high above him. The wall of the tower was peppered with little white computer windows, but Waldo ignored them all as he walked to the center of the new platform, stopping before a large semi-transparent computer interface that appeared before him.

Waldo placed his left hand on the computer interface, and as he removed it and the print from his touch faded words began to appear.

WALDO

CODE: DIITTO

"The tower is deactivated," Waldo announced as the white screens suspended in the air around him seemed to fall to the bottom of the tower.

**

* * *

Author's Note:** And that is Part 5! I had a lot of fun writing this Part, and am excited for the upcoming Parts as well! I hope all my wonderful readers were satisfied. I would really appreciate if a few of you dropped a review commenting on my plot and or writing thus far, but it's not necessary. I should begin uploading the next Part of the story within the week. _~ Lav_


	30. Rethinking the Known

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Six: **

**Rethinking the Known

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** Well, this is up earlier than I thought I would post it, mainly because I am coming up on a weekend where I know I'll be busy and am not sure I would find the time to post this then. So enjoy!

Because someone asked, I'm going to mention that I did make the dream tree up a few sections back. I got the idea from a real life plant that smells really bad every certain number of years; thus deciding that if that plant could exist, why not one that put you to sleep with its smell? Also, I do try and make the technology in this story fitting of the fact that it is happening sometime far in the future. Just a reminder.

Anyway, commence Part 6. I believe this section puts me over 100,000 words!

**

* * *

Franz (Section 6.1)**

It had already begun to darken by the time Franz lugged his suitcase out of the Elizabeth building and in the direction of Kadic's parking lot. His mother was picking him up late, along with Waldo, Nancy, and Matthias. Ulrich had swung by Kadic on his way home from work and picked Valentina up nearly an hour before. For the moment, she would be staying at the Sterns while Matthias and Nancy would stay with the Belpoises.

Since Xana's attack that morning, Franz felt notably happier than he had upon embarking on his academic field trip. There had been something about fighting his Xanafied classmates with Matthias and Valentina that had sent a rush of adrenaline through his veins. Though Franz still did not like Matthias, he hadn't minded how the other boy and Valentina had sat in the seats behind his own on the bus ride home, whispering possible explanations for why Matthias had been able to attack in the same way as those controlled by Xana could and snickering about how the entire class and Brocker were all terrified of the dangerous Divine Dream tree and how a 'gust of wind' had blown its sleep-inducing scent over them all. The most difficult part of making everything after Xana's attack normal again was hiding the tears in Valentina's shirt from the tree she had been thrown against on the back of. Matthias had, after a bit of coaxing, leant her his light jacket.

Aelita was waiting for Franz by her van. To Franz's annoyance, Waldo was already there. He squeaked, "I claim shotgun!" as he finished shoving his suitcase into the trunk of the vehicle and scrambled to the passenger's door.

"I'm older, and you are eleven. No," Franz said, leering at Waldo as he moved to deposit his belongings in the trunk as well. Nancy and Matthias would put their things in the front of the van where one of the seats had been put down. It was not necessary to put down two since the four children were taking significantly less stuff home with them than they had brought to Kadic several weeks before.

"Mom . . ."

"Franz, for a ten minute drive in this area it's safe enough for Waldo to ride in the front seat," Aelita rationalized, glancing at her watch. She was leaning against the side of her van staring in the direction of the dormitories.

"I don't care about his safety, I just don't want to . . . oh never mind . . ." Franz muttered. A ten minute road trip was not worth an argument. By the time he had stuffed his suitcase in the trunk of his mom's van Nancy and Matthias had made it to the parking lot. To be nice, Franz wordlessly lifted Nancy's suitcase into the van for her before moving to sit in the seat directly behind the driver. Nancy sat directly behind him, and Matthias sat opposite her after heaving his suitcase into the vehicle.

"Is everyone ready?" Aelita asked. "They lock the dormitories in twenty minutes – if you forget anything you have to do without it for a week."

"Yeah, we know, Mom," Franz said. "I'm hungry – can we go home now?"

Aelita started the van, and began to drive home. Franz watched her glance at everyone via the rear-view mirror. "Franz, Matthias, are you two okay after this morning?" she asked. "I would have called you to ask, but since you were in class I decided against doing so."

"We are fine," muttered Franz. "If anything really bad happens we would have called you, like we agreed earlier."

"Yeah, our class is now afraid of trees, but other than that everything went smoothly," Matthias added. "Xana possessed some of our classmates but it was no big deal to fight them."

Franz couldn't help smiling at the memories Matthias's words triggered. His mother did not seem quite as amused. "Your classmates were Xanified? Who? How many? How did you manage to keep from getting hurt?"

"Well, Valentina was thrown into a tree, but she was walking afterward and claimed to be okay," Franz said.

"It wasn't as bad as you think, Mrs. Belpois," said Matthias. "Once I learned I could make lightning fighting them was a lot easier,"

Aelita swerved in the road; luckily there was nobody in the neighboring lane. Alarmed, Franz looked into the rear-view mirror just in time to see his mother glance back at Matthias, eyes wide with shock. "You did _what_?" she asked as Franz heard Nancy scoot as far away from her brother as possible with a terrified little squeak.

"Uh . . . shot lightning . . . or something . . ." Matthias repeated, a bit more hesitantly the second time after seeing Aelita's reaction. "Franz told me to do it!"

"I didn't tell you to do it, I just told you that, according to the supercomputer, you could activate a program at all times and took that to mean that you could activate it off of Diitto. I guess I was right."

"Franz, where did you find this . . . ?" asked Aelita as Nancy chirped "Oh – I remember when Franz went and read everything about Matthias that was on the supercomputer! He did that after we saw that his user card had him holding a ball of electricity."

Nancy's last sentence was mostly drowned out by Matthias's comment. "What? I want to read the stuff about me on Diitto!"

"Mom, did you ever read through any of our biographies on the supercomputer?" Franz asked.

"No – I didn't find the time because of my other projects . . ." replied Aelita. "We can go to the bunker first thing tomorrow and read all about ourselves, though. It's vital that we figure out why you can attack in the same way that Xana's puppets can."

"Matthias is a Xana puppet?" Nancy squeaked, sounding mortified.

"No, of course not!" Matthias snapped in response. His tone then seemed to perk brightly. "Hey, can I try and make lightning again-"

"Not in the car!" Aelita hissed.

"Not near me!" Nancy squeaked, still sounding as if she was about to faint.

"Mom, any idea why Matthias can make lightning?" Franz asked.

Aelita did not respond right away. "We won't know for sure until I can run some tests on him, but I would hazard to guess that he can make lightning because Xana controlled William for so long. It might be that, by being under Xana's control, William's DNA was altered slightly. He must have retained the ability to make lightning after being freed from Xana and passed it onto Matthias."

"Does Nancy have the ability to make lightning, too?" Matthias asked, sounding excited. Simultaneously, Nancy let out a sharp, terrified cry and banged her head on the back of Franz's seat, exclaiming, "I don't want lightning powers! I don't want any connection to Xana! Can't Matthias make lightning because Daddy is inside him, not because he's his son? Can we go with that theory instead?"

"That is an equally likely possibility," said Aelita as Nancy seemed to sigh with relief. "However, I won't know if Matthias's powers are genetic or just because of William until I can run some tests on him."

As Aelita turned onto the long, winding road that was the driveway of the Hermitage, Waldo spoke. "I think that Matthias's powers are genetic."

"Why, Waldo?" Aelita asked as Nancy said, "No, they better not be!"

"Well . . . because I think you spent too much time on Lyoko, too," he told his mother, sounding both calm and nervous at the same time. "I think that your DNA might have been altered somehow, too, since you did stay on Lyoko for years . . ."

"What makes you say that?" Aelita asked.

"Matthias can shoot lightning, but we don't know if that's genetic or Mr. Dunbar unless . . . err . . . I can read pulsations off of Diitto . . ." Waldo stammered at last, sounding slightly embarrassed.

Aelita parked the car and then turned to look at her son. "Are you sure about this?" she asked Waldo.

Franz watched as his brother nodded slowly. "Yeah, I am sure. I don't really recall noticing it before the supercomputer was activated, but after my first trip to Diitto I started to notice things without having to see them . . ."

"Hehe, awesome," Matthias said, unclipping his seat belt and moving to the door of the van to let himself out. "So we are both mutants!"

Waldo looked less than enthusiastic about Matthias's comment. He turned to Franz. "There is one thing that doesn't make since, though. If having Diitto powers on Earth is genetic, then Nancy and you should have the same powers as Matthias and me respectively. Assuming that Nancy has the ability to shoot lightning-" Nancy squeaked as he spoke. "-but hasn't had the opportunity to do so, we have to take into account the fact that you definitely do not have the ability to feel pulsations. You don't even notice your cell phone vibrate unless it actually moves from the force of the vibrations."

Franz's relatively happy mood faded. Waldo had a special genetic ability and he didn't? That was hardly fair. But his younger brother had a valid point. Throughout his entire life he had never been able to notice anything but the strongest of vibrations. His cell phone, unfortunately, did not give off anything strong enough for him to notice, as many people had taken to making fun of over the course of his life.

"Maybe that's also a genetic mutation, me not feeling pulsations," Franz said, less than thrilled with his realization. "You got the better half of the deal, but your sensitivity to vibrations and my lack of are probably based off the same mutation."

"_Why do you all have to be mutated? Why can't things just be normal?_"

Noticing that Matthias had moved on from his suitcase and was now proceeding to unload everyone else's belongings from the van, Franz hastily removed his seatbelt and went to assist him, determined not to be outdone by the other boy. Aelita locked the van a moment later once Waldo had hopped out of the passenger's seat and Nancy had crawled from the back, arms crossed tightly over her chest and dark eyes popping with anxiety. She timidly accepted her suitcase handle from Matthias as he handed it to her, seemingly terrified of her brother.

"I have a lot of tests to run tomorrow . . ." Aelita sighed, eyeing the kids as she moved to lean against the side of her van as they gathered their belongings. She rubbed her eyes with her hand, looking exhausted. "There is so much to do . . ."

"We'll help you," Franz said quickly, hoping his mother wasn't too overwhelmed with the knowledge that her children and the Dunbars had mutated DNA from their parents' overexposure to her father's supercomputer. "Right, Waldo, Nancy?"

"Right," Waldo replied as Nancy mumbled, "Yeah . . ."

"Well, tonight we should just eat and relax. All of us deserve a break," Aelita muttered, heading for the front door of the Hermitage to unlock it. "If you four want to eat, two of you will need to join me momentarily in the kitchen."

"I'll help if Matthias stays away from the kitchen!" Nancy volunteered.

"I am not gonna explode or anything you know," Matthias grunted, narrowing his eyes at his sister. She shot him a skeptical look as Waldo said simply, "You are overreacting a bit."

"No, I'm not!" Nancy defended. "This sort of thing is exactly why I never want to go to Diitto! If Matthias and I have DNA mutated by Xana, wouldn't it be easier for him to control us?"

"We'll figure everything out tomorrow, Nancy," Aelita said, putting her hand on the girl's shoulder in an attempt to calm her. "Inside now, everyone. Franz, join Nancy and me in the kitchen after you put your suitcase in your room."

"What? Why me?"

"Franz . . ."

"Oh, fine. Can I get some input on dinner?"

"Within reason."

Franz carried his suitcase upstairs, deposited it in his room, and then washed his hands before joining his mother and Nancy, who had left her suitcase in the foyer rather than following Matthias to the spare bedroom, in the kitchen. He stood silently beside his mom and waited for her to give him something to do.

"I think it'll be easiest for us all if we just heat up a frozen lasagna and toss a salad," Aelita said, reaching into the freezer and pulling out a family-sized beef lasagna. "Unless you want to commit to making something fancier, Franz," Aelita added, smiling impishly at her son.

"Lasagna works," Franz said, taking the box from his mother as she handed it to him. He preset the oven and then removed the uncooked dish from its wrapping as Aelita and Nancy fished salad materials from the refrigerator.

Waldo poked his head into the kitchen briefly. "Matthias and I are calling the Sterns on the videophone in the family room. Just a heads up." As he disappeared, Aelita muttered that she should probably call Ulrich and speak with him about Matthias's lightning. Nancy squeaked yet again as she spoke. Franz understood why she was so opposed to the idea of her and Matthias having mutated DNA, but he was beginning to think that she should just accept the fact and go with it. He wouldn't have minded a useful DNA mutation – instead he had drawn the short straw of his mother's genetic code.

Once the oven beeped to inform Franz that it had reached lasagna-cooking temperature, Franz donned an oven mitt and put the frozen dish in the oven. From the other room, he could hear Matthias and Waldo talking to Kokoro, Katja and Valentina. His mother nodded him off as he met her gaze, and Franz hurried into the other room, wedging his way in between Matthias and his brother to fit within view of the camera for the videophone.

"Hey, guys, what did I miss?" Franz asked.

"Daddy freaked out about Matthias when we told him about what happened earlier, and about two seconds ago went to go find his cell phone so he could call Aelita and ask if you all really are mutants," Kokoro replied bluntly. She was sitting on the edge of the couch that the Sterns had placed a reasonable distance away from their videophone beside Katja. Sitting so far away from the phone made her face a bit blurred at times, but it was fairly convenient to sit and talk as opposed to standing by the video screen and camera. Valentina was sitting on Katja's left on her other side.

"His reaction couldn't have been any worse than Nancy's . . ." Matthias mumbled under his breath. "And I think I'll go with the term 'superhero' rather than mutant . . ."

Valentina laughed at Matthias's remark while Kokoro rolled her eyes. Katja managed to avoid a grin as Franz noticed that Valentina had finally been allowed time to change out of the shirt she had worn to the arboretum. It had been ripped a bit in the back and Franz had assumed the tree had also cut her when she was slammed into it.

"Valentina, how badly did that tree cut you? Are you doing okay?" he asked hastily.

Rolling her eyes, Valentina replied, "Yes, I am still doing okay." Simultaneously, Matthias snapped, "I already asked her that!"

Katja leaned forward and rested her hands on the edge of her lap, but Kokoro spoke next. "The next time Xana attacks, you all need to be around, okay?" she said, glancing from the camera to Valentina. "It was really lucky that Aelita, Katja, and Waldo were able to deactivate the tower with any additional help. And the next time Xana attacks there will be a second activated tower . . ."

Kokoro trailed, and Franz bit his lower lip. Nancy had told him about how his father had contacted her during Xana's attack in passing that afternoon between classes. A part of him wished that he had intercepted his father's message instead – he would have liked to see guaranteed proof that his father still existed . . . or whatever being in his state was called . . .

"Well, you weren't exactly risking your butt today," Katja grumbled uncharacteristically. Kokoro threw her sister an exasperated look.

"Well, unlike you, I still had half a chemistry test to work on! Gah, everything worked out in the end – I'll skip out next time, okay?"

"Don't feel too bad, Kokoro. Some people are just better at retaining information than others," Franz taunted. Kokoro's eyes flashed toward the camera, leering at him. She stood and walked towards the screen.

"You are so lucky that you're not actually three feet away from me right now!"

"And why is that, huh?"

"Wait, you are a genius, Franz!" Waldo exclaimed suddenly, grabbing his brother's sleeve and tugging it to gain his immediate attention.

"Thank you, I've noticed," Franz replied as Matthias and Kokoro both began to negate Waldo's words. Valentina chuckled a bit, moving from the couch to stand in front of the camera for a better view of those at the Hermitage since Kokoro was blocking the view from the couch.

"No, really! Wait, hold on a second!" Waldo said, rushing into the kitchen. He dragged Aelita out a moment later, holding a knife and a tomato in her hands, and let go of her just outside the view of the camera as he moved back into view of those at the Stern residence. Turning to look at his mom, Franz saw Nancy poke her head out of the kitchen, though she still seemed too afraid of her brother to join everyone else in the room.

"Waldo, I'm on the phone with Ulrich and I'm making food. What is going on . . . ?"

"Mom, tell me if I am right or not," Waldo began hastily. "Before being virtualized for the first time, you weren't considered extremely gifted in school, were you?"

"Those memories are a bit fuzzy, but as far as I can recall I wasn't . . . oh . . ."

Waldo adopted a huge grin as Aelita seemed to understand his reasoning for such a question. For everyone else's benefit, including Franz's, he continued to speak.

"It was only after Dad de-virtualized you that you became a genius in school. That was after you had spent years asleep on Lyoko, and over a year awake as little more than a form of artificial intelligence-"

"Thank you, Waldo . . ."

"-While you were on Lyoko, you had infinite memory. Upon being de-virtualized by Dad you retained all of the information you had gained while on Lyoko, giving you, compared to everyone else, a much better background for understanding new information since you had so much, well, data to call upon."

Waldo turned to face his brother again. "Tell us, how do you learn best?"

"By reading . . ."

"Exactly!" Waldo said excitedly. "You only need to read something once to remember it! That's why you are so smart – you have the best memory when it comes to things that you have read. While stuck on Lyoko, Mom learned all that she does by reading things on the Internet, and anything she read was implanted permanently into her memory. You gained that ability from Mom! Your DNA is also mutated, though in a different way than my own."

Franz took a moment to absorb what Waldo had just said. His brother had a point – he did only have to read something once to remember it. His most difficult classes at Kadic were language-related, meaning that they required him to speak actively as opposed to simply recalling coursework for a written test. Franz grinned.

"My superpowers are cooler than yours!" he told Waldo and Matthias as Aelita seemed to blow a raspberry and wander back into the kitchen with Nancy.

"You know, that probably means Waldo is smarter than you, Franz," Kokoro commented. Widening his eyes, Franz turned to face the camera and videophone screen again. Kokoro had folded her arms over her chest, looking smug. "You see, both of you are geniuses, but he actually works to be so smart. Thus he is smarter than you!"

"What? You know what, Kokoro – _you're_ the one who is lucky I'm not actually three feet away from you!"

"Oh please . . ."

"Kids, the salad is ready! You can eat now if you want," called Aelita from the kitchen. Franz briefly turned in the direction of her voice as Matthias said "Okay" and walked into the kitchen, warning Nancy that he was doing so. Turning back to the phone, Franz waved at Valentina and Kokoro. Waldo did the same.

"Bye, Kokoro, Valentina, Katja. I'll probably see you all tomorrow."

"Bye, Franz, Waldo," Valentina said as Kokoro glanced over her shoulder.

"Huh, she left already. Maybe she went to get a snack before dinner?"

"Oh, okay . . ." Franz said. He hadn't noticed Katja leave her living room. But he wasn't exactly one to scold someone for going to get something to eat. Waldo reached out to turn off the videophone, and the screen became dark, with Kokoro and Valentina disappearing from sight. Franz's little brother then walked into the kitchen so that he could eat. Though Franz briefly felt as if something bad had happened, he hastily followed his brother. It was dinnertime and he was hungry.

**

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Author's Note:** I dropped several major (at least in my eyes) plot hints this section. It was quite fun to write, and I hope that you have just as much fun reading it! Feel free to throw out guesses and stuff, though I won't necessarily tell you if you are correct. :P

As mentioned earlier, I am not really sure when I'll have the chance to update again. I will do my best to have the next section posted by Monday evening my time. (I am GMT -5 if anyone was wondering / cares.)


	31. Part 6, Section 2: Katja

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Six: **

**Rethinking the Known

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**

**Author's Note:** Katja writes herself. Enough said. And this section took ages to write, not because it was hard to do so but because I had to include so much stuff and then went back to add more. I hope all my wonderful readers love it.

Also, I made some edits to the character's abilities while writing this section, so the Character Biographies section has also been updated. The most prominent change, aside from a few renamed programs, is that Franz no longer inherited energy fields from his mother; decided against that.

**

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Katja (Section 6.2)**

Katja was the first one awake Friday morning. She quietly slipped downstairs into the kitchen and then poured herself a bowl of cereal to eat dry in her room. The morning sun had begun to filter into her room through the window, a sight that usually sent a warm feeling throughout Katja since her favorite color had always been yellow. However, this morning Katja didn't particularly care about the nice weather. She would have preferred it to be rainy – and not the nice type of gentle rain that she liked, either. Katja wanted the sky to split open and for acidic torrents of water to flood all of France.

Then again, even that wouldn't be enough.

When Katja finished her breakfast she braved the hallway again and headed back downstairs to rinse out her bowl and place it and her spoon in the dishwasher. She then darted back upstairs into her room to pick out her clothes for the day before taking a shower. Her best bet for hot water that morning was to take one before anyone else woke up.

It was getting cool outside, so Katja didn't even consider wearing a skirt or capris. Instead she shuffled through her jeans. She searched for a particular pair of black jeans with white stars along one side, then found underwear and a zebra-print top. It had been a while since Katja had made such a statement with darker-colored clothing, but she was at a loss for what else to do in her present situation.

Katja slipped silently into the bathroom and began her shower. At eleven that morning she and the others were heading to the bunker. Everyone was going to be allowed to read the data on themselves that the supercomputer had generated after their first virtualization, Matthias, Nancy, Waldo, and Franz were going to have some genetic tests run on them while they were in the scanners (Katja had no idea how Aelita planned on coaxing Nancy into the scanners, but it presumably would happen) and, because the entire process would likely take the entire afternoon and then some, everyone was going to have an underground picnic in the bunker for lunch. Late last night Kokoro and Valentina had made cookies for the occasion. Katja had made the excuse that she had reading homework to keep herself out of the kitchen. At the moment, she didn't think she could be nice enough to Valentina to stay in the same room as her.

While there had been fleeting moments over the first month of school that Katja had treasured, there had been a seemingly infinite number of times when Katja had seen something nasty within her grumble around her soul, struggling for control of her actions. There had been times when that nasty monster had almost broken lose. Last night during the video conversation with the Belpoises and Matthias had been one of them.

Katja relaxed dramatically after her shower, and after dressing she rolled her long, dark hair into her towel and left the bathroom for the kitchen. Since her sister and Valentina had made cookies, she had to come up with something else for the picnic at the bunker. Katja checked the fridge, the cabinets, the pantry, and then stopped to lean against the kitchen counter.

_I have to make something . . . something he would like . . ._

Kokoro and Valentina had taken care of the dessert, so she couldn't make anything sweet. Savory? No; too filling and time consuming. A snack mix? Katja liked that idea – if she made a snack mix it could be saved until later in the day after everyone had eaten lunch and brought out after everyone had begun to get hungry again. Katja really liked the idea of making a snack mix.

She pulled a large bowl from beneath the counter, rinsed it out and dried it, then poured abstract amounts of chocolate chips, peanuts, marshmallows, three kinds of cereal, raisins, tortilla chips, and cheese balls into the large dish. Then, snapping on the lid, Katja lifted the bowl and shook it to ensure that everything had been mixed up.

It was then that Valentina walked into the kitchen. The small blonde was wearing blue jeans and a bright purple shirt that brought out the color in her eyes. When she noticed Katja, Valentina smiled through a yawn.

"Kokoro, you have a towel on your head. Do you know that?"

"It's Katja, and yes, I know," replied Katja, faintly amused that Valentina had mistaken her for her sister because of her darker clothing. The only people that could tell her and Kokoro apart regardless of what they wore were her parents, Yumi's mother, Aelita, Waldo, and Franz. Jeremie still occasionally mixed the two of them up when they wore identical clothes.

"Oh, oops," Valentina said, looking slightly surprised. She switched to English with her next words, still more comfortable speaking in that language than French. "My apologies. Why do you have a towel on your head?"

"To keep my wet hair from dripping everywhere," replied Katja, also switching to English for convenience as neutrally as she could manage. "If you're hungry then feel free to eat the cereal atop the fridge. I'm gonna go and read," she added, using the excuse with the hope she could duck out of the kitchen.

"You read twice as much as Kokoro," Valentina mused, standing on her toes to reach the cereal atop the fridge.

"Yeah. I also get better grades than her because I do so," Katja said bluntly, leaving the room and heading upstairs. She deposited her towel in the bathroom and then headed back into her room. Kokoro had just left her bedroom as Katja closed the door behind her. Her sister opened it a moment later and let herself into Katja's room, eyes darting up and down her sister.

"Crap, what happened?" Kokoro asked, speaking Japanese. That alerted Katja to the fact that her sister may have known the answer to her question before speaking. Or she just wanted to speak in Japanese, which she did randomly at times.

"Nothing," Katja muttered, taking a seat at her desk and opening one of her textbooks. Kokoro moved to stand beside her, eying her sister suspiciously. Kokoro had dressed in navy jeans and a primarily red shirt sporting black kanji – the characters for 'endless fighting spirit' went down the right side of her chest and stomach.

"You cannot lie to me," Kokoro said, reaching out to drag Katja's textbook across the desk so that she couldn't read it anymore. "What is bothering you? If I'm going to deal with being called you all day, thanks to your choice in clothes, I should at least have some idea why you're making such a statement."

Katja hesitated to respond, instead choosing a spot on her desk and fixing her gaze upon it. Kokoro poked her in the shoulder after a moment, and Katja regretfully replied. "I'm just a little annoyed at something. I'll probably be over it later, so don't panic or anything."

"I'm not panicking. I'm worried. I wear black – you wear gaudy bright-colored crap," Kokoro said, trying to mask the seriousness of her words with a tiny run at Katja's usual wardrobe. "And I'd bet my allowance that it's not a 'thing' that you are annoyed at. I'm not completely oblivious to my surroundings. I think I know _who_ you are mad at."

"Can we stop talking now?" Katja asked, leaning forward to fuse her head with the wood of her desk.

"Sure, if you like," Kokoro said simply. "Just tell me when I should beat him up for being so tactless."

"Don't beat anyone up . . ." Katja said softly into the desk. "It is not his fault. I don't think boys are capable of noticing stuff like this . . ."

Kokoro shrugged. "If worse comes to worse, then just wait for Valentina to try pairing you two again." She shuddered. "But there's no way in hell I'd tolerate being paired with Matthias. I think I'll have to beat her up the next time she suggests it just to get that into her head . . . yuck."

Giving her sister a quick pat on the shoulder, Kokoro moved from the room, closing Katja's door behind her. Slowly, she lifted her head again and resumed staring mindlessly at her desk. She loved Kokoro dearly, but little did her sister know that Valentina's existence was making more trouble for her than Franz's ignorance was. She had been dealing with that in a perfectly acceptable manner for ages.

Twenty minutes to eleven, Katja joined her father, sister, and Valentina in the car for the ride over to the Hermitage. She had her textbook and the bowl of snack mix on her lap, and had thankfully managed to call shotgun before Kokoro could. When her father had first seen her, Ulrich had done a double take, though he must have decided against nagging her about why she was wearing darker clothing than normal. Katja was thankful for this, as Valentina had been present when her father had first seen her that day.

The drive was relatively quiet, though Ulrich asked Valentina why her parents had called to insist that she stay with her uncle (whom they believed to still be somewhere in the French countryside) rather than take her home for the short break. Valentina had bluntly explained that her parents were evil and that they did not want her to come home because they were evil. Ulrich didn't try to talk again after that.

Ulrich parked his car beside Aelita's van, and Katja was the first one out of the car. She headed straight for the sewer entrance, assuming that those who were staying at the Hermitage would have already left for the bunker. Katja heard her father call out to Aelita as she rounded the first corner, but figured that it would be easier to go on ahead even if she would be the first one to arrive.

When she reached the bunker, Katja found that she had originally assumed right – Matthias, Nancy, Waldo, and Franz were already there, though they were waiting on the main floor for everyone else to appear. Matthias, Waldo, and Franz were kicking a soccer ball around while Nancy sat against the side of the elevator, eying her brother warily.

"Katja, think fast!" Franz said, kicking the soccer ball to her as she stepped into the room. Katja stopped the ball with her foot, then gently kicked it back to Franz, smiling a bit.

"Not while I'm holding this. I'm gonna go put it downstairs in the lounge."

"I'll come with you!" Nancy chirped, jumping up and tapping the keypad beside the elevator.

"Just a few minutes now until you realize you're a mutant, too!" Matthias said, grinning cheekily at his little sister. Franz grinned a bit at the other boy's remark while Waldo took the opportunity to duck in and steal the soccer ball from him, running it to the other side of the elevator.

Katja rolled her eyes as she stepped into the elevator with Nancy, who seemed to relax as the elevator door closed behind them. "I really don't want to be able to make lightning . . ." the smaller girl whispered.

"That doesn't sound too bad," Katja said. "Being able to hit someone with lightning would be very useful if Xana attacks you directly in the future." Katja couldn't help frowning as she added, "Although my dad is now _demanding_ that my sister and I work diligently to teach you two, and Valentina, pencak silat because having some martial arts skills would be beneficial in addition to having lightning . . ."

"I think the only good thing about this mutated DNA stuff is that Matthias and Franz didn't try and kill each other yesterday," Nancy muttered. "They both think it's awesome. Matthias was attacking trees last night with his powers."

Katja didn't respond, running over the phone conversation she had overheard from the neighboring room after leaving sight of the camera the evening before: Due to genetic mutations inherited by their parents, Matthias could make lightning, Waldo could feel pulsations and vibrations, and Franz had an unnaturally good memory. None of those things had surprised her when she had first heard them.

Nancy seemed to notice Katja's lack of a response and quieted herself as the pair of them stepped into the lobby and moved to place the snack mix on the table. Someone had already deposited a large basket with individually wrapped sandwiches lined with ice packs.

"Want to go to the computer room?" Katja asked Nancy. "It'd be nice to be able to read whatever information the supercomputer has on me before all the boys come down and begin to be obnoxious."

"Okay," Nancy agreed, clearly delighted to find that she didn't have to go back to the main floor where her brother was still playing soccer. The two girls rode the elevator back to the computer room and Nancy took a seat at the closest monitor. She opened a handful of windows, then maximized one of them. Katja leaned forward so that she could see the screen better.

The window was divided into two parts, the first containing the image of her user card in the top left corner of a small recreation of herself. It was fairly strange to look at such a detailed copy, and for the first time Katja got a clear look at her Diitto costume. She really did look like a butterfly.

The right half of the screen consisted purely of text. She scanned everything – the only self-created programs she could activate (_blur_, _cocoon_, and _excavate_) she already knew about. Katja then scanned the data that the supercomputer had recorded while she was on Diitto such as her fastest speed and how long she had spent on Ditto.

Right as Katja was finishing up, the elevator doors opened and Kokoro, Franz, Matthias, Waldo, Valentina, Aelita and Ulrich spilled into the room. Immediately, Franz and Matthias moved behind Nancy and Katja for the best view of the computer monitor that they were staring at, while Kokoro moved to stand on Katja's other side, asking, "Find anything interesting?"

"Nothing I didn't already know about," Katja said, moving out of the way so that the people standing beside her would have a better view of the screen.

"Nancy, bring up your user card next!" Matthias urged.

"No," Nancy said stiffly, bringing up Kokoro's instead. Katja's image seemed to don a different costume as her user card was replaced with her sister's. "I'm going last."

"But-"

"Matthias, if Nancy wants to go last, let her go last!" Ulrich called from the other side of the computer room. He was standing beside Aelita, who had taken a seat in the second chair. It seemed that the adults planned on looking at user cards separately from their kids anyway.

Kokoro's comments on herself drowned out Matthias's muttered response. "_Aeroslice_ . . . and that disaster that left me with a migraine is called _dragon's dance_. I don't even remember activating it, but I remember that I felt like the dead afterward."

"You have a high agility index," Franz remarked. "Mediocre speed, though."

"Go choke on something – wait, what's that?" Kokoro asked, pointing to a part of the screen.

Franz leaned closer to get a better look. "I think that means you are under the elements of fire and wind when you go to Diitto. Elements are something new to Diitto that Lyoko didn't have. It makes since – you can turn into a flying dragon and do attack with a fan."

"And make your red bracelets feel as if they came out of the oven," Matthias added, possibly remembering how Kokoro had once de-virtualized him with one of her bracelets.

"What were you, Katja?" Kokoro asked, turning to look at her sister.

"Just wind, I think."

"Now it's my turn!" Matthias said, prodding Nancy in the shoulder. "Show us my stats."

Nancy brought up everything the supercomputer had on Matthias. He also had a slightly higher agility index than Kokoro, and his speed wasn't too bad. There was something about him having heightened hearing and detail retention. There were specifics on his sword, and details about Matthias's two self-created programs – _electric snake_ and _electrify_ – with the latter marked in a way that (correctly) suggested it could be activated in the real world as well as on Diitto. His element on Diitto was electricity, not surprisingly.

"Not too shabby, right?" Matthias said smugly.

"Don't inflate yourself too much, you might pop," Kokoro sneered. Katja couldn't help snorting with amusement until Franz asked Nancy to bring up Valentina's stats next.

Unlike the who had stood normally, Valentina was crouching, wolf-like, on all four of her paws in her slowly rotating supercomputer representation to the left side of the screen. The text on the right explained that she could activate the self-generated program _ice ray_, though it listed the term in French rather than Engllish, the language that Valentina used to activate it. According to the supercomputer, Valentina was under the element of ice on Diitto, and her greatest assets on the virtual world were the ability to climb anything with her claws and the ability to gain a glimpse of a past event on Diitto as she was virtualized. This ability, though not a self-created program, was dubbed 'aftersight' by the supercomputer.

"I knew all of this already," Valentina remarked. "That I could attack with _ice ray_ and my claws." Then, turning to Kokoro, she added, "How come nobody else has had two elements on Diitto?"

Kokoro shrugged. "I must just be vastly superior to the rest of you."

"My turn now . . ." Waldo said, a rare impatient side of him showing as he reached out to switch the screen to his statistics with a few quick touches. His user card and digital image appeared, and he and the others began to scan the data that the supercomputer had gathered on him.

"You don't have any self-created programs, but you do have something to explain your affinity to pulsations in real life," Franz commented. "And this clearly defines a difference between your originality and Mom's creativity. Mom's ability creates a structure that hardens while she sings. You use a series of pulsations to morph the terrain around you – much more efficient if you ask me."

"Franz, I can hear you . . ."

"Look, Waldo has two elements, too!" Kokoro said, sounding surprised. "Ground and mainframe . . . what? That's not even remotely elemental."

"What does 'mainframe' mean?" Valentina asked, confused by the unfamiliar French word.

"I think that in this case, the word 'mainframe' refers to how Waldo can access the computers on Diitto," Franz said. "I am probably attuned to that element, too. It's like . . . the element of computers. Right, Mom?" he asked, calling across the room.

"You could say that to simplify things," Aelita said, clearly listening to what the kids were saying even though she and Ulrich were staring unblinkingly at their own monitor.

"Okay. Nancy, can you pull up my stats?" Franz asked. Nancy quickly did so, and Franz's user card and a digital image of him appeared. Franz's representation showed him wearing his quiver on his back and holding his recurve bow at his side. Every few seconds, Franz's clothing changed color. Everyone watched as it flashed from being completely white, to having the part that changed color popping to yellow, then gray, then dark green, then a lighter shade of green, blue, brown, and finally black.

"Wow, you have a lot of programs, Franz," Nancy said, scrolling slowly through the information that the supercomputer had generated on the boy. For immaculate shooting, Franz could activate the self-created programs _target_, _locked_, _release_, and _strike_. Two more programs, _fire_ and _ice_, allowed Franz to either enflame (to double the damage of his attack) or freeze the tips of his arrows (to freeze an enemy in its tracks) before he shot them. In addition to that, he could activate a program known as _timewarp_ that allowed him to see things before they happened and allow him time to react before disaster could strike.

"Yeah, yeah, but Franz doesn't have more than ten arrows to start with – so once he uses them all up he becomes useless."

Franz turned to face Matthias, though instead of glaring at him as Katja would have expected in response to his tease the blond merely raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Wait, what did you just call me?"

"Your name . . ."

"Yeah, I know. Say it again."

"Franz . . ."

"Dude, don't be alarmed, but you have brain damage. You are pronouncing my name correctly!"

As Matthias slightly distorted his facial expression, Valentina mused, "Hehe, he's been saying your name correctly for a few days now. Did you just now notice?"

Franz grew red in the cheeks. "Quiet, you," he grumbled before turning back to the monitor to continue reading about himself. Kokoro, Valentina, Matthias, Nancy, and Waldo found this exchange fairly amusing. Katja couldn't find a reason to smile. "Anyway, I suppose I'll just have to code myself a reloading program to keep myself from running out of arrows to shoot. Odd used to have one for his laser arrows if I'm not mistaken . . ."

"What elements are you under?" Waldo asked.

"The supercomputer says that his only element is mainframe," Nancy replied as Franz blinked at the screen.

"What? I am supposed to shoot iced and flaming arrows! Shouldn't I have three elements?"

"Uh . . . it just says mainframe here . . ."

"Oh . . . bleh . . ." Franz grumbled as Aelita moved to his side. Katja found it mildly amusing that Franz made a point to censor his language around his parents.

"Nancy, have you seen the information that the supercomputer gained about you that one time you were scanned to ensure you would retain your memories in the event of an emergency?" Aelita had insisted that Nancy be scanned even if she did not want to go to Diitto in case a return to the past was launched to ensure that she didn't forget about the supercomputer. This had occurred before Jeremie, through Katja's mother, had explicitly told everyone _not_ to activate the buggy return to the past. Katja could remember Nancy grumbling about exposing herself to the supercomputer for nothing.

"No . . ." Nancy said softly as Matthias said boldly, "We saved the best for last!"

Nancy seemed to whimper as Aelita reached forward and brought up the little girl's information. A small rotating red exclamation point encircled by a red line replaced both the user card and the virtual image that the supercomputer did not have for the presently viewed user. The text on the right of the screen was dramatically more condensed than those in the past, though informative nonetheless.

Some stats, such as Nancy's agility and speed index, were unavailable. But, Nancy apparently was under the elements of electricity and wind on Diitto. Self-created programs were primed for creation upon the first virtualization, though one was clearly already recognized by the supercomputer.

"You can make lightning, too!" Matthias said, proudly clasping his sister on the shoulder. She buried her face in her hands and stayed still.

"Nancy?" Aelita said, gently tapping the young girl on her other shoulder. "If it's alright, I would like to run some scans on you. Nancy . . . ?"

The redheaded girl did not move. Katja watched as eyes flashed from one person to another, as Ulrich and Aelita exchanged a quick, unreadable look and as Matthias's gaze seemed to soften slightly as he looked at his little sister and removed his hand from her shoulder.

Without making a sound, Ulrich nodded in the direction of the elevators and then crossed the room, tapping Waldo, Kokoro, Franz, Valentina and Matthias as he went. Kokoro, Valentina, Waldo and Franz hurried after him, Waldo casting a second glance back at Nancy, still frozen with her face in her hands, while Matthias only started to move when Ulrich reached out and dragged him by the shoulder to the elevator. Katja watched everyone else disappear into the elevator and as it headed down to the third level, wondering why her father had left her with Nancy and Aelita. She liked the little girl a lot, thought she was a sweet person and all, but that didn't stop her from being mildly confused.

"Can you get the program out of me?" Nancy muttered softly, still not lifting her head and her voice barely loud enough to be heard.

Aelita squatted on the ground beside Nancy's chair as Katja slowly moved to stand on Nancy's other side, reaching out to curl one of her red locks in her finger. She could remember, years ago, sitting in her backyard and playing with Nancy's hair while Nancy played with her hair. Katja had straight dark hair, thus she had been fascinated by Nancy's bright curly hair. Likewise, Nancy had been enthralled by Katja's thin, straight, dark hair.

"I won't know anything more than what the supercomputer says now until I run some more specific scans on you, Nancy," Aelita said gently. Katja was reminded of a time when she was little, when Yumi had come into her room in the middle of the night to comfort her. Whenever she had gone to bed sick or with a fever as a little girl, Katja had always had delusional nightmares. To combat them, Yumi always stayed with her daughter through the night, whispering sweetly and softly into her ear to keep her safe. Katja felt herself go limp with the memory. Nothing replaced a mother figure's comfort . . .

"I don't want to be controlled by Xana . . ." Nancy stammered, beginning to rock side to side in her seat, head still hidden.

"Sweetheart, there's no reason for you to fear such a thing," Aelita said, reaching out to move some hair out of Nancy's face, exposing a closed eye.

"But I - have - mutated DNA - that - allows me - to - make - lightning . . ." Nancy said, beginning to sob in between words.

"Shh . . ." Aelita whispered, gently stroking Nancy's face. Meanwhile, Katja dropped to the ground to sit with her head against the side of Nancy's chair, again wondering why she had been singled out to stay with Aelita and Nancy. "The two aren't connected in any way, Nancy. Just because you have mutated DNA doesn't mean Xana can control you. My boys also have mutated DNA because I spent so long on Lyoko – and I wasn't ever a prisoner of Xana, I just lacked a materialization program to bring me into the real world. Inheriting your father's altered DNA doesn't put you at any more risk than me, or Waldo, or Katja . . ."

_You, Katja, will be at much greater risk than the others every time you journey to Diitto. Nancy would be as well, though I believe she has resolved never to set foot on this world . . ._

Yumi's words echoed through Katja's mind as Aelita spoke, and she shifted her gaze to the floor. Katja had not told anyone what her mother had said to her. She had felt that it was best to keep everyone else in the dark. But, maybe Aelita, who had partially designed the supercomputer, knew something similar to what Yumi had told Katja. Maybe she had shared that information with Ulrich, which was why he had left her behind when taking the rest of the kids downstairs. Maybe the adults had believed her to be mature enough to add to the lie that Aelita was presently feeding Nancy – a promise that she didn't have to worry about being controlled by the thing that commanded her greatest fears.

Katja could lie. She had spent the past year or so lying to herself, only to have reality blow up in her face.

"Nancy, you don't have anything to worry about. If anything, you have a better chance of not being controlled by Xana because you can defend yourself with electrify. As I said before, I would love a program like that."

Slowly, Nancy lifted her face from her hands and looked at Katja. Her eyes were puffy. "Why?" the sixth-grader asked.

Katja resisted the urge to simply shrug, instead forcing herself to articulate her answer. Now wasn't the time to be blunt. "Oh, for a few reasons, I suppose. It would make me more interesting for one. I'm an identical twin – much of my life has been spent making myself unique since there's someone out there that looks exactly like me. That, and . . . well, there's just some sort of allure with having the ability to stop any normal person in their tracks with an electrified shove, isn't there?" Katja couldn't help smiling as she continued. "Hey, just imagine the wisdom we all have to impart upon your brother now. If he goes and attacks Isaac again, who's to say he won't try and shock the life out of that boy? Having such a dangerous power comes with great responsibility . . . I suppose another reason I'd want it is so that I could prove that I can handle such a responsibility without destroying myself."

Neither Aelita nor Nancy spoke as Katja sighed and finished talking. The ninth-grader slowly stood and then closed her eyes, doing her best to ignore everything around her. She heard a bit of movement, and then felt someone significantly smaller than her reach out to hug her. Opening her eyes, Katja hugged back, slightly unsure why Nancy was hugging her in the first place. All she had done was explain why she wouldn't have minded being able to make lightning.

"Part of the battle with Xana is fear, Nancy," Aelita said, moving to stand beside Katja and Nancy. "If you spend all of your energy worrying then you won't ever manage to fight him at your best."

"Yeah, exactly," agreed Katja, smiling softly at Nancy. At times it was so easy to look one way when another emotion was tugging at your heart. "If you are determined to never be controlled by Xana, you won't be. It is as simple as that."

"Are . . . you sure?" Nancy asked. Her sobs had stopped, but her voice still was weak with traces of fear.

Katja forced a nod. "Yes," she replied. "If you tell yourself '_I don't want to be possessed by Xana - I don't want to fight my friends and family through him_' then you won't have to."

Nancy blinked at Katja, then turned away, stepping back from the older girl. "I'm sorry . , ." she said softly.

"Don't be," Katja said, glancing at Aelita. The pink-haired woman was smiling at her. She wore the type of smile that Yumi used to give her when she was exceptionally proud of her, or when she was just passing her daughter by in the hallway. "You're just a little scared. We all are. It's perfectly normal."

Silence followed Katja's words, which Aelita gently broke after a few moments had passed. "How about we go down to the lounge to eat before doing anything else? I am worried that if we don't grab a bite soon there will be nothing left."

"Okay . . ." Nancy said, turning toward the elevator. Katja moved after her, but Aelita held her back with a touch on the shoulder for the briefest of seconds.

"Thank you. She told me once that she used to wish for you as an older sibling instead of Matthias," whispered Aelita, passing Katja and stepping into the elevator. Katja joined the two others, and then took a deep breath as it took them all down to the lounge.

A complex mixture of emotions swirled within Katja: hate, regret, fear, anger, happiness. She hated that she had no way to separate the negative feelings that burned her inside from the positive ones.

**

* * *

Author's Note:** Want to tell me what you think so far? Throw a guess at where I'm going with the plot or tell me what you love or hate about it? I do appreciate each and every review left to me.

I am back in school now, so I have less free time for writing, but I will do my best to have the next section up by Friday. Though there is a good chance that it'll end up posted Friday evening, sadly, with my workload. But the next section has action, so I want to take my time with it to make it the best it can be.


	32. Part 6, Section 3: Waldo

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Six: **

**Rethinking the Known

* * *

**

**Waldo (Section 6.3)**

Wednesday afternoon, Waldo and Matthias went to play soccer in his backyard. Matthias had tried to persuade Franz to come, telling him gruffly that it wasn't good for the team if he didn't practice over break, only to have Franz throw a bunch of technical computer terms in the other boy's face that eventually forced him to curse under his breath, annoyed, before settling to practice with just Waldo.

"What is it that he and my sister are working on, anyway?" Matthias asked as he and Waldo kicked the soccer ball between one another.

"The Lyoko-DL – a direct link onto Lyoko from a laptop. Since Xana fried the original interface, their project will be the only way we'll ever get to go back to Lyoko to retrieve the original return to the past," replied Waldo, making a point to kick with his right leg when he could. His ability to feel pulsations, vibrations in the ground that mapped the world in a way he couldn't describe, had a profound impact on his ability to use his non-dominant leg while playing soccer.

"So, with that program, someone will be able to go to Lyoko and retrieve the original return to the past from its memory or something?"

"Yeah – more specifically Franz or I will be able to go and do that, since we have our mother's DNA and should still be able to access its systems from within."

"Remind me – how does this help to free my dad?"

Waldo stopped the soccer ball with his left foot. "It doesn't, really. My mom is working on that. But the return to the past will allow us to return to the past – meaning that, if Xana ever does something terrible in the real world during one of his attacks that would, say, draw police to the bunker we could erase everyone's memories of the event to keep the supercomputer a secret. If the world learned about Xana and the supercomputer, it would be considerably more difficult to free our parents."

Matthias said nothing, instead fixing has gaze on the soccer ball beneath Waldo's foot. Catching the hint, Waldo kicked it back to him.

"Aren't you fixing the return to the past, though? Can't Franz and Nancy work with your mom on freeing our parents while you just fix the return to the past?"

Waldo was slightly irked by how little Matthias seemed to know about coding and computers in general. "Monday evening I hit a wall with the return to the past," he admitted, not bothering to kick the soccer ball back to the other boy when it rolled to a stop by his feet. Waldo shifted his gaze to a dead tree across the yard – it was covered in lightning marks. Though Aelita wasn't happy with how Matthias was using his ability to make lightning around everyone else, she seemed to have accepted the fact that he probably would kill a couple of her trees over the course of the week.

Besides, when he was allowed to use his power, Matthias spent less time bothering Nancy about her still unused electrify program. The scans that Aelita had run on her and Matthias at the bunker on Saturday had revealed that electrify was a genetic program resulting from William's prolonged exposure to Lyoko. Likewise, Waldo had learned that his ability to read pulsations on Earth was also due to a genetic mutation from his mother while Franz had inherited the ability to retain a seemingly infinite amount of information. Before everyone had left the bunker, Ulrich had briefly expressed concern that, by going to Diitto, everyone was putting themselves at a dangerous risk for further genetic mutation until Aelita pointed out that, as long as nobody spent months or years on a virtual world, they risked nothing when stepping into a scanner.

"Wait – you're stuck? Isn't there anything you can do? What if something bad happens and we need to activate the return to the past?" Matthias asked quickly, collecting Waldo's drifting thoughts.

"Xana practically destroyed Diitto's return to the past. It can be fixed – but without a reference I would really just be stumbling around in the dark," Waldo replied. "That's why the Lyoko-DL so important. With the return to the past from Lyoko I can start working again."

Kicking the soccer ball back to Matthias at last, Waldo moved toward his house. What was the point of kicking around a soccer ball when there was real work to do? Yesterday he had saved what he could from the retrowing, retrobike, and retroboard with the hope of using the basic coding his father had created ages ago to make his own, bug-free, vehicles. If he couldn't fix the return to the past, Waldo had to do something in his free time.

"I'm gonna go work on vehicles," Waldo told Matthias, knowing that the older boy was glaring at him from behind. He could tell that Matthias was annoyed by how he was leaving already by how he had stiffened his legs and scoffed his left shoe into the dirt – actions Waldo had seen clearly through pulsations. "Any requests?" he asked, hoping to diffuse the tension with the other boy. He could shoot lightning, after all.

"I want the motorcycle," Matthias replied. "And make it look cool!"

"Making it work has a higher priority," Waldo muttered to himself, opening the back door and stepping inside. He headed in the direction of the stairs, intending to head up to his room so that he could work on his laptop (since his desktop had been left behind at Kadic) when he heard raised voices coming from the basement. Mildly intrigued, Waldo headed downstairs instead.

"Franz, I don't have time. I'll look over it tomorrow if you want, just not now. I have to meet the Sterns at the bunker in twenty minutes to scan their DNA sequences."

Aelita passed Waldo on the stairs, patting him on the shoulder and throwing him a quick smile. Waldo's memories flickered back to the previous evening. His mother had announced that she was ready to begin personalizing the reformation program she had been working on. The reformation program would recreate the bodies that the three Xana had attempted to trap had lost. One at a time, Aelita would be able to bring Odd, Yumi, and William home by reforming and materializing them. Because Aelita had Kokoro, Katja, and Ulrich at her disposal for scanning, she rationalized that it would be easiest to bring Yumi home – Katja and Kokoro had some of their mother's DNA, and Ulrich's scans would allow Aelita to know what parts of his daughters' DNA had been inherited from Yumi. Matthias had been bitter for most of the evening following the announcement, though he seemed to have realized that arguing with Aelita about who to materialize first was rude and pointless and consented to leave her to her work so long as he could destroy her trees.

Continuing down the stairs, Waldo encountered Franz and Nancy sitting on the floor beside Franz's laptop. Franz looked irritated while Nancy had a twisted look on her face midway between excitement and terror. Cocking his head slightly, Waldo asked, "What was that all about?"

"We finished!" Franz said brightly. He quickly rotated his laptop in place and nodded Waldo to take a seat before him. "The Lyoko-DL is ready – or at least, I think it is. I wanted Mom to check, but she's too busy. As soon as she checks it then we can go to Lyoko and get the return to the past. You'd think a few scans could wait . . ."

"I'm qualified to check your work," Waldo said, feeling his insides race with excitement. He hadn't realized Franz and Nancy had been so close to finishing the Lyoko-DL. Then again, they had been working on it non-stop for days. It wasn't a terribly complicated program, either. It would make it possible to virtualize someone, de-virtualize someone, and communicate with them.

"How long do you think you'll need?" Franz asked as the sound of Aelita hastily slamming the front door reached them in the basement.

Waldo's hazel eyes briefly met his brother's before they locked onto the screen of Franz's laptop. "Twenty minutes, tops."

"If he finds nothing wrong with it, will it really be safe to test the program?" Nancy asked Franz.

"I don't see why not. We could even go and try it out before dinner. If we just run a quick test to make sure that it works then it shouldn't take too long . . ." Franz stood and cracked his knuckles before running up the basement stairs. "Let me know when you're done, Waldo!" he called back.

"Okay," Waldo said blankly, focusing on the coding on the screen before him.

"The program is mostly Franz's," Nancy said as she stood as well. "I just did really simple stuff like monitoring tests and making sure none of the algorithms and other stuff gave off error messages when synchronized . . ."

"Anything helps," Waldo said simply, still concentrating.

"I suppose," Nancy muttered softly, also heading upstairs.

Twenty minutes later, Waldo closed Franz's laptop and carried it into the kitchen so that he could hand it back to his brother. "I checked it twice – nothing seems to be off with the coding, and if you ran simulations that worked well we should be good to go." Waldo headed for the back door to fetch his shoes. Excitement made him inadvertently put his right sneaker on his left foot. The Lyoko-DL was ready at last!

"Where's Matthias?" Nancy asked, moving to stand beside Waldo.

"Don't know, don't care. According to the locals these woods are haunted by the spirits of a vanished man and his little girl so it's safe to leave the door unlocked for him just in case he is still outside," Franz said, heading past Waldo into the backyard. "Mattthias knows how to operate a phone and we all have cells, so he can call us if he realizes he's been abandoned," the blond boy added a moment later as Nancy and Waldo followed him outside.

"Uh . . ." Nancy said softly, reaching up to rub the side of her neck. "I don't have my cell on me, actually . . ."

"Did you lose it?" Waldo asked.

Nancy shook her head, the flaming twin ponytails dusting her shoulders shaking as she did so. "No, it's under my pillow. It just ran out of power. I forgot my charger at school, and it isn't compatible with anyone else's. I checked."

"Oh well, Waldo and I have our phones, so Matthias can call us if he realizes he was abandoned," Franz said, heading in the direction of the sewer entrance. Waldo and Nancy followed. Matthias, Nancy, Waldo, and Franz had moved their skateboards and scooter close to the Hermitage over the weekend just in case they needed to use them. Stepping onto his board, Waldo began to ride down the sewer behind his brother. Adrenaline continued to run through his veins, startling him to an extent. He had been raised on stories of Lyoko . . . maybe such anticipation was warranted?

The three kids reached the factory in record time, having practically flown through the sewers. Waldo arrived last, mainly because he had paused briefly to silence an incoming call on his mobile. He was too excited to deal with whatever anyone could be calling him about. The kids climbed out of the manhole at the edge of the bridge leading into the factory and then sprinted across. Franz was first down the ladder into the gallery, followed by Nancy then Waldo. Once all three of them made it to the elevator, Franz sent it down to the scanner room. The computer room was now useless to everyone.

Since the scanners had been disconnected from the technology in the computer room, they - along with the supercomputer a level down - had remained in perfect condition. However, since Aelita had not wanted to risk damaging the supercomputer by deactivating it while all its parts were not intact, it had remained on since its activation some three weeks before. This potentially exposed Lyoko to dangerous forces (such as Xana) from the Internet, while on the flip side it wasn't really beneficial for Xana to take control of a virtual world without a computer interface. The computer interface, (the destroyed part of Lyoko,) controlled the activated supercomputer. Without it, Lyoko could never again reach its full potential – it could be turned on and off (and even that was up to debate between Aelita and Franz). Aelita's biggest worry accompanying leaving Lyoko online was that Xana would try and activate a tower; though if he did, he risked the Diitto warriors simply turning off Lyoko. Only speculation kept it online, while Diitto (a safer option for energy on Xana's part) remained online because of Jeremie, Odd, Yumi, and William.

Franz proceeded to remove his laptop and an assortment of cables from his backpack and connect it to the closest scanner. Waldo watched in earnest as Nancy sat down on the floor, glancing from one boy to the other. "Which of you is going?" she asked, sounding slightly confused.

"Waldo, of course – why do you think we brought him?"

Waldo was both thrilled that he was going to be the first one to go to Lyoko and mildly irritated by how readily Franz had passed him off as a guinea pig. A part of him had hoped that he would get to go to Lyoko first, though, so he didn't find himself too annoyed by the thought.

"I'll probably have a better chance of defending myself on Lyoko than you would in case something goes wrong and there are monsters to fight," Waldo said quickly. "You have only ten arrows when virtualized – my ability to morph the terrain doesn't have a limit."

"That, and you don't know how to run the Lyoko-DL yet. Neither does Nancy, so I'll stay behind this time to show her. And personally I wouldn't trust either of you monitoring me on Lyoko at this point since this is the first test of the program . . ." Franz added under his breath a moment later. Waldo resisted the urge to roll his eyes; his general excitement made it difficult to worry about anything going badly in his present situation.

After connecting his laptop to the scanner, Franz took a seat beside Nancy and brought up the Lyoko-DL program. He glanced at his brother. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah."

"Then step into the scanner," Franz told Waldo.

Waldo moved into the scanner, then turned around to face his brother and classmate. Nancy smiled faintly then locked her gaze with the computer screen. Franz had already begun to type on his keyboard. The scanner closed around Waldo and he felt it hum to life. _In just a few moments he would be on Lyoko . . ._

"Transfer Waldo, scanner Waldo," came Franz's muffled voice from outside the scanner as Waldo closed his eyes and felt his body begin to tingle with the virtualization process. "Virtualization!"

Waldo caught himself a moment later as he fell to the ground after being reformed on Lyoko. He was in a desert of sorts, and had materialized aside a brown stone structure with two columns and an overlying rock. Standing, Waldo surveyed the rest of his surroundings: the sky above him was a yellowed tan, and the ground, for as far as he could see, was a few shades darker of the same. Little brown rocks jutted from the ground in abstract patterns, and larger brown stone structures dotted the horizon much more infrequently. There were two towers in sight – one to Waldo's left and one to his right. The one to his right was accessible only via a narrow path that dropped off of the sector into the digital sea. Both towers had billowing blue smoke floating around them.

"Waldo? Can you hear me? Are you on Lyoko?"

"I can hear you, but somehow I magically ended up in Australia instead of Lyoko," Waldo told his brother, wondering where other than Lyoko he could have ended up. He bit his lip, focusing on sending a visual back to Franz's computer. "Are you able to see what I see, or do visuals not work?"

"We can see your visual – you're in the desert region," Nancy replied.

Waldo looked around the sector again and then glanced at his Lyoko attire. It was identical to his Diitto costume. He wondered if his originality still worked as well, and immediately dropped to the ground to attempt to morph the terrain. To his delight, a row of spikes slowly protruded from the ground.

"I can still defend myself here," he informed the others, standing again. "Okay, now what? Are you going to bring me in since the test was successful or-"

"Do you see any monsters around?" Franz asked, cutting his brother off.

"No."

"Then why don't you walk around a bit? See if you can get into one of the towers nearby. I think that someone would have to go directly to the core to get the return to the past from Lyoko, but there's a small chance you'll be able to access the program from a regular tower."

"Okay," Waldo said, taking off in the direction of the tower to his left. It was slightly farther away, but there was no narrow pathway over the digital sea leading to it.

Waldo approached the tower and tentatively walked up to it, bracing himself to hit the outer wall if he didn't have the ability to phase through it like he did with the towers on Diitto. But nothing hard pressed up against his face or chest, and a moment later he found himself inside the tower. Instantly, in contrast to Diitto's towers, Waldo noted that the floor was not solid and that the mark of Lyoko glowed white upon the dark floor. Hesitantly, he walked along the top line of the mark until he reached the center of the circle. Looking up, Waldo saw another platform high above him – the place of tower deactivation – but since the tower was presently dormant he was not automatically sent upward to the second tower interface. Instead, Waldo reached out and groped through the empty space before him in search of the interface on the ground level. It appeared after a moment.

"I can activate interfaces here," Waldo said, unable to keep himself from smiling. "Should I begin to look for the return to the past?"

"Yeah," Franz urged.

"Do you think you'll be able to find it?" Nancy asked.

Waldo tapped the interface screen and began to scan the data that presented itself to him. "I don't know yet, but I'll tell you when I do," he said, beginning to tap open screen after screen. As he worked, he heard Nancy and Franz whisper to one another, not wanting to bother him by speaking loud enough for Franz's computer to capture their voices completely. It seemed that Nancy had heard a sound, but Franz had disregarded it.

After a few more minutes, Waldo found something of use to him – a video record his father had made years ago pertaining to the return to the past. He didn't have time to watch more than a few seconds, amused by how similar his father had looked in his youth when compared to him, but since the video log intrigued Waldo he started a process to upload it to Franz's laptop. He could watch the entire thing later. Waldo then continued to look for the actual return to the past program.

"Whoa, what just happened?"

"Uh . . ."

Waldo glanced skyward. "What happened?" he asked Nancy and Franz, holding his left hand in place over the computer interface.

"The lights went out," Nancy replied.

"_What?_" Waldo said as Franz brusquely stated, "Maybe the lights just gave. This place is older than our parents."

"Can you please figure out why the lights went off?" Waldo said quickly, a feeling of worry swirling within him. Unfortunately, Waldo's question was lost as Nancy asked Franz to pull out his cell phone for another source of light. Franz swore under his breath a moment later.

"What is going on?" Waldo asked sternly, irritated by how he was unable to see for himself what was happening in the scanner room.

"I have two missed calls and a text message . . . my phone must have switched itself to vibrate somehow . . ."

"What-"

"Xana is attacking!" Franz said quickly. "Waldo, we should head over to the bunker now. Xana activated two towers, according to Katja. Mom'll have to deactivate them both by herself unless we get to the bunker-"

"Wait, wait – make sure you get the video log I am uploading before disconnecting. Bring me in if you like, just don't disconnect without that video," Waldo said hastily.

It was a moment before Franz replied. "The thing you sent back is only at 73% so far. I'll bring you in the moment the transfer finishes. Until then, keep looking for the return to the past program. Do you think you'll be able to find it?"

"Can you at least find out if it's accessible from a regular tower instead of the core?" Nancy added hastily. "Even if you find it, the program would take a little while to upload, and we might not have that much time to spare . . ."

"Okay, I'll just look for the program. I won't initiate a transfer or try and access it if I find it, though." Waldo said, continuing his search.

"Franz, nobody answered their cell phones when I called . . ." Nancy squeaked a moment later.

"Everyone else is probably already on Diitto," Franz rationalized. "There are two activated towers – between the two sectors its just Mom, Katja, Kokoro, Valentina, Matthias and Ulrich. That's three in each sector. It'd be a test, since Xana seems to have been utilizing most of the energy he gains from the towers to create monsters for us to fight instead of causing damage in the real world."

"But the lights went out?"

"It probably wasn't too hard to make something explode in the power plant," Franz muttered. "Though this would be the second time this month that the Paris area lost power . . . and this time it's without an apparent reason . . ."

"We'll need the return to the past even more than ever now!" Nancy said. "Xana keeps cutting the power during his attacks, purposefully or not! It's only a matter of time before someone becomes too suspicious . . ."

"I wouldn't worry yet," Franz grumbled. His tone then lightened considerably. "Oh, Waldo – the upload was completed. Have you found the return to the past program yet?"

"No . . ." Waldo admitted weakly. "I don't think core programs like that can be accessed from sub-terminals like the towers. I have a feeling we'll have to go to the core after all in order to access the return to the past."

"_What was that?_"

"What was _what_?" Waldo asked, his obliviousness making him anxious. Nancy needed to learn how to use nouns descriptively.

"Uh, there's something loud above us – hang on, you'll be back in a moment," Franz replied.

"Something lou-"

Waldo's words were cut off as he watched his hands begin to fade into a thousand glittering white squares.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I did my best to describe the place on Lyoko where Waldo was virtualized as the place where Aelita is seen in episode 11, _Plagued_. (Yes, I realize I have referenced that episode twice now; this was not intentional.)

Otherwise, hope you enjoyed this section. I apologize for the wait, but I had a really busy week. The good news is that I survived it, and that it should be a little easier for me to juggle my coursework and writing from this point forward.

The next section should be up in a couple of days. As always, I would love any input my readers have on the story.


	33. Part 6, Section 4: Aelita

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Six: **

**Rethinking the Known

* * *

**

**Aelita (Section 6.4)**

"Are you all ready?" Aelita asked. She was seated at one of the two computer interfaces in the Diitto bunker. Ulrich, Katja, and Kokoro were already standing in the scanners in the neighboring room. After scanning Ulrich individually and the girls together, she was ready to scan the three of them at once so that the supercomputer could automatically separate the DNA that Katja and Kokoro had inherited from Yumi with their entire genetic codes as a base reference. With the results of this last scan, Aelita would have roughly half of Yumi's DNA (Katja and Kokoro were identical twins, but there would be some variation of course).

"Ready."

"I'm ready."

"You can start now."

Aelita activated the scanners, watching as the results of the scan began to flash across her screen. The process would take a few minutes; all that she could do now was wait. Wait, and hope that her theory was correct – that with the data she gathered she would be able to create a reformation program for Yumi Ishiyama Stern. If she was able to bring Yumi home, then she could take what she had learned and apply that to separate programs for William Dunbar and Odd Della Robbia. For William's program she had Nancy and Matthias at her disposal for scanning – but since there was no chance she would be able to scan Jillian, their mother, she would have to take the time to separate the DNA the two children had inherited from their father by hand. Odd would be, by far, the hardest to bring home. Valentina was the only blood relative Aelita had access to, and she was Odd's niece. It would be extremely long and tedious to reform Odd, which was why Aelita had decided to leave him until last.

He'd be the last of the three Xana had tried to absorb, anyway. Aelita still didn't have the slightest clue how to bring Jeremie home, or if such a feat was even possible. Years ago, she had lost her father to Xana. She didn't want to think about losing her husband as well . . .

The elevator lurched, and Aelita glanced at the indicator in the wall above it to see that it was heading back to the ground level. She knew that Valentina was napping in the lounge (she had come to the bunker with the Sterns rather than stay home by herself). Who could have summoned the elevator?

Aelita brought up the cameras after minimizing the feed from the scanners, only then noticing that the computer had alerted her when someone had entered the bunker moments ago. A second later, Aelita watched Matthias step into the elevator. Closing the camera feed, Aelita rotated her chair to face the elevator as its doors opened and Matthias entered the room, eyes narrowed in a way that revealed a hint of crossness.

Matthias scanned the room, then met Aelita's gaze. "Are Franz, Waldo, and my sister here?" he asked simply.

"No, they should still be back home . . ." Aelita said, her mind flashing through a thousand scenarios for why Matthias had come to the bunker in search of her sons and his sister. What had her boys done now? Surely they were above hiding from Matthias and sending him all over the sewers in search of them? Even Franz had been getting along reasonably well with the other boy over the past few days. There had been only a handful of instances when Aelita had felt like strangling either of them as they bickered unreasonably.

"They aren't at the Hermitage. I looked all over, and when I called Nancy I went straight to her answering machine. Neither Franz or Waldo answered their cells, either," Matthias grumbled, moving to sit in the other chair and staring blankly at the wall closest to him.

"Well, they aren't here . . ." Aelita muttered under her breath, turning back to her computer screen to monitor the process of the scanners. She had enough to worry about without having to come up with punishments for missing children. "Valentina is, though. She's in the lounge, but she might be sleeping."

Matthias seemed to perk up at Aelita's words, smiling a bit. "Really? Cool." He stood and headed back to the elevator, then took it down to the lounge. Aelita briefly hoped Matthias wouldn't be too tactless when waking the sleeping girl, then checked the estimated time till completion of the scanning process.

Several minutes later, the supercomputer beeped once to signify that the scans had been successful. Gleefully, Aelita began to look over the data gathered by the computer as she heard the elevator hum to life. The Sterns were returning to the computer room. Simultaneously, an alarm began to go off. Eyes widening in shock, Aelita investigated – two towers had been activated on Diitto at exactly the same time! One was in the savanna region and one was in the sylvan region.

The elevator doors opened and Ulrich, Kokoro, and Katja entered the room. Katja was midway through a sentence when the beeping cut her off. "Aelita, did you get what you needed from the sc-"

"What's happening?" Ulrich asked, hurrying to stand over Aelita's shoulder.

"Two towers were just activated a moment ago," Aelita said quickly. She glanced in the direction of the twins. "One of you go down and get Valentina and Matthias."

"Matthias is here? Yuck," Kokoro grumbled, nonetheless rotating in place and then tapping her way back into the elevator. Katja adopted a confused expression, glancing between Aelita and the elevator.

"One of those towers is Jeremie's, isn't it?" she said after a moment's hesitation.

"I think so . . ." Aelita said, beginning to type. Before when Jeremie had activated a tower, it had given off a unique signature unlike the signatures Xana's activated towers usually gave out. But this time, both towers were giving off irregular signatures. Aelita figured that, to make things difficult for her and the others, Xana had purposely changed the signature of his activated tower to match Jeremie's. That way, she had no way to tell which tower was Jeremie's and which was Xana's without going to Diitto.

"Katja, call Franz and Waldo. Find out where on Earth they are and tell them to fly here," Aelita said. She turned to face Ulrich. "I can't tell which tower is Jeremie's," she admitted.

"Didn't Jeremie give us explicit instructions to allow him time to put up some sort of barrier against Xana when he last made contact?" Ulrich asked. "He needs fifteen minutes at least to run the patch successfully. How can we be sure that we give him the time he needs if we don't know which tower is his? If we go to Diitto and find ourselves before Jeremie's tower, then we've wasted valuable time and Xana will have gathered-"

Aelita blinked at Ulrich in disbelief. It was amusing to see how he had aged into a worried parent from a mischievous, carefree schoolboy. The woman shifted her gaze. "Katja, where are-"

"I called Franz and Waldo and neither of them picked up. Waldo's phone went straight to its answering machine. Should I call Nancy?"

"No, her phone died days ago. I caught her trying to use my charger last Sunday," Aelita said simply. "Send Franz a message telling him what happened-" As Aelita was speaking, the elevator door opened, and Matthias, Valentina, and Kokoro entered the room. "-because we'll just have to go to Diitto without them if they can't be found. I'll deactivate both towers myself if I must . . ."

"What's going-"

"Shut up, Matthias," Kokoro grumbled. "Two activated towers. One is Jeremie's, and it needs to stay active for at least fifteen minutes. Do try and piece together all the puzzle pieces if your little brain can handle it . . ." Kokoro headed back into the elevator, crossing into the scanner room. Aelita watched as Matthias flicked her off.

"How are we going to do this?" Ulrich asked.

"It'll be a pain, but even with the virtualization program being buggy we'll manage," Aelita announced, bringing up the virtualization program. She paused to think, then came up with a solution to the fact that she could not control where those sent to Diitto were rematerialized. "I'll send three people to the savannah region first, orient them, then send Matthias and one other person to the sylvan region. I'll orient them, then send myself. Matthias can use electric snake to orient me. From the sky I should be able to see if he were to slice down a large tree. The sylvan sector is relatively flat."

"Right – who will be going to the savanna sector?" Ulrich asked.

"Uh . . . Valentina, Katja, and you. Since your goal will be to clear a path for me at the tower if it is controlled by Xana or to make contact with someone if it is controlled by Jeremie, such a grouping will work well. You and Katja are fast, and would have the best chance of striking quickly and effectively while Valentina can attack from a distance," Aelita rationalized. "Go to the scanners now."

Katja, Valentina, and Ulrich hurried to obey, while Matthias stood awkwardly by the elevator door. As Aelita pulled up the virtualization program, Kokoro returned, moving to the woman's side and narrowing her dark eyes.

"Why do I have to go to the same sector as Matthias? There are two activated towers – why couldn't I go to a different sector!" she hissed.

"You know I love this arrangement just as much as you do, but I do think that stopping Xana is worth me having to deal with you," Matthias said stiffly.

Kokoro reared upon Matthias. "There is no limit to your stupidity, is there?" she said.

"Kids . . ." Aelita mumbled warningly, too busy to truly care about their petty argument. "Transfer Katja, transfer Ulrich, transfer Valentina. Hey, you two – go get ready to go next!"

On her way to the scanner room, Kokoro appeared to have kicked Matthias in the knee. (Aelita couldn't have been sure, since she was looking at the computer screen.) Matthias swore violently, then hobbled after her through the elevator.

"Scanner Katja, scanner Ulrich, scanner Valentina. Virtualization!" Aelita watched as Katja, Valentina, and Ulrich landed in the savanna region. They had landed together (thankfully) since they had been virtualized at the same time.

"Aelita, where's the tower?" Ulrich asked.

"It's southeast of your present location," Aelita replied, having the supercomputer calculate the path between those on Diitto and the activated tower. "You'll have to climb a small cliff and go through a forest. Beyond the tower is a sheer drop to a lower level of the sector. If you reach that then you have gone too far."

"Okay, Princess, we're off then. Good luck on your end."

"Thanks; good luck," Aelita said, minimizing the windows that dealt with those in the savanna region. She shifted her attention back to the virtualization program. "Kokoro, Matthias, I'll send you now," she said, sending her voice into the scanner room.

"I'm ready," Kokoro said as Matthias muttered something about already being in the scanner.

"Good. Transfer Matthias, transfer Kokoro," Aelita said, beginning the virtualization process. She didn't even bother trying to give them coordinates for when they arrived on Diitto. That part of the virtualization program no longer worked – when she had time she'd remove the prompt from the system. "Scanner Matthias, scanner Kokoro. Virtualization!"

Matthias and Kokoro landed in the sylvan sector. Aelita checked to see how far they were from the activated tower and then bit her lip. The activated tower was the northernmost tower in the sector. Matthias and Kokoro had been virtualized right up against the southern wall – the mirror-like entity that prevented the sylvan region from being exposed to the digital sea.

"We made it, Aelita," Kokoro said.

"Good. You didn't land anywhere near the tower, though. If you head due north you should run into it . . . eventually. It's all the way across the sector by the northern wall."

"Oh, terrific," Matthias said.

"I'm going to send myself to Diitto now," Aelita said. "In exactly three minutes, Matthias, you need to cut down a large tree so that I'll be able to find your location. If it is convenient I will attempt to meet up with you, but if I find that you are south of my position I will head in the direction of the tower. Do you two understand?"

"Yeah, I'm sure even Matthias got that," Kokoro replied.

"You know, I have better grades than you do. The intelligence jokes are getting old-"

Aelita removed her headset and headed for the scanner room, hastily climbing into one of the scanners. Less than twenty seconds later, the delayed virtualization program began. Aelita closed her eyes as the all-too-familiar sensation whisked her into the virtual world.

When she landed, Aelita didn't bother to gaze upon her surroundings. She activated the device on her hand and took to the sky upon her pink wings, rising as fast as she could high above the trees. She continued to rise until she felt dizzied by her new height, and then managed to float in place as she scanned the world below her for a trace of Matthias's electric snake. The entire sector could be seen below her, complete with the mirror wall that surrounded it. Aelita realized she was even higher than the barrier Jeremie had made to protect the sector.

There was still thirty seconds before Matthias was supposed to signal her. Aelita glanced skyward, taking in the color of the darkened sky . . . darkened sky . . .

"Xana's tower is in this sector, since Diitto darkens in the presence of a foreign entity," Aelita said aloud. "Excellent – if I deactivate this tower first then by the time I get to the savanna sector Jeremie will have had time to upload his patch." Though, Aelita did admit that she still needed to give Jeremie fifteen minutes from the time the towers were initially activated because Xana would likely try and take his activated tower when his own was deactivated . . .

Then, in the distance, Aelita caught sight of a torrent of electricity as it enveloped a large tree. The tree crashed to the ground, and Aelita began to speed toward it. Based on Matthias's location, it would be best if she intercepted them on their way to the activated tower. That way, if they encountered any trouble, the three of them could fight it off together.

Losing count of the seconds as Aelita flew through the air, she dipped below the trees and began to weave in between the trunks, hoping that those in the savanna region found Jeremie's tower, that Kokoro and Matthias weren't killing each other, and that she found them soon. Then, at last, Aelita spotted Kokoro and Matthias running northward in the distance. She urged her speed to increase, and finally landed at their sides as her wings faded into nothingness – temporarily tapped for usage.

"We should expect monsters soon," Aelita told the children. "It's Xana's tower that is up ahead."

Neither Kokoro nor Matthias responded, instead beginning to run once more in the direction of the activated tower. Aelita followed, trailing behind Kokoro as Matthias took up the lead. He was the fastest of the three of them.

Aelita's heart was pounding as the activated tower came into sight through the trees. As expected, Xana was guarding it. A line of kankrelats stood before the tower, and a single megatank flanked them. Aelita met both Matthias's and Kokoro's gazes, silently confirming that they would do their best to clear the path for her. She had to deactivate not one but two towers that day. With Franz and Waldo missing in action, she couldn't afford to be de-virtualized before her task was complete.

The line of kankrelats began to advance. Kokoro stepped forward, turning in place and opening her fan. She grabbed the edges, then swiftly moved it before her, shouting "Aeroslice" as a sharp gust of wind followed the fan's path and collided with four of the five kankrelats. They were knocked backwards but not destroyed as the fifth kankrelat began to shoot. Grabbing her fan, Kokoro leapt into the air to dodge just in time.

Matthias struck next, advancing without any regard to the barrage of lasers from the kankrelots aimed in his direction. He managed to strike one, slicing it in half and transforming it into tiny white panels, but his boldness cost him two hits with one of the lasers. Matthias groaned, beginning to use his sword as a shield to defend himself.

Meanwhile, Aelita began to run from tree to tree, using their trunks as cover in her attempt to get as close to the tower as she could. Before her eyes the megatank opened. Kokoro, charging a kankrelat with a flaming-hot bracelet, failed to notice it. The megatank exploded as Kokoro took down the kankrelat, but she did not have time to defend against its blast. Kokoro was thrown across the sector, landing against a tree and distorting her face from the shock of the impact.

"Kokoro!"

"Be careful!" called Aelita, guessing that the megatank had just taken most of Kokoro's life points from her.

The woman glanced at Matthias, watching as, for the briefest moment, his face betrayed concern for the girl. Then the look vanished, but instead of going after the nearest kankrelat Matthias headed in Kokoro's direction. Not having the time to question his out-of-character behavior, Aelita aimed an energy field at a distracted kankrelat and took it down. The others locked onto her position. She began to run again.

"You inherited your idiocy from your dad, then!" Kokoro yelled, bewildering Aelita. The girl began to charge the megatank as Matthias seemed to hesitate before heading in the direction of the remaining kankrelats. The megatank tried to strike again, but Kokoro avoided its laser wall. She managed to hop onto it and plunge several flaming bracelets into its exposed eyes and then jumped away before it exploded. Matthias was not nearly as lucky with his assault on the kankrelats. He took down one with his sword when the other managed to hit him with its lasers. Aelita shot an energy field at it, missed narrowly, and then made a break for the tower and left Matthias and Kokoro to handle the remaining monster.

Jeremie had been given ample time to run his patch on the supercomputer. Aelita would deactivate Xana's tower then make her way to the savanna region to deactivate Jeremie's. Xana would likely have taken control of it, but she had faith that Valentina, Ulrich, and Katja could handle themselves until she arrived.

Entering the activated tower, Aelita hurried to the center of the room and relaxed as she was levitated to the top of the tower. She stepped before the transparent computer interface that appeared before her and delicately placed her right hand atop it briefly. Her handprint faded almost instantly, and words replaced it.

AELITA

CODE: DIITTO

**

* * *

Author's Note:** Sorry for the uploading delay, but I wanted to write this _and_ most of the next section before I uploaded the first. It's always a good idea to do sections that occur simultaneously at the same time, that way you don't have to go back and edit things if you make changes or to make things flow smoother. Incidentally I did make one edit to the last section – Matthias called Waldo and he didn't pick up his cell because he was too excited about going to Lyoko. This isn't plot changing, but it is necessary to add it to explain Matthias calling Waldo and him not picking up. His cell phone would act dead if it was called while he was on Lyoko after all . . .

I am not quite sure when I'll have the next section up since I am crunched for time during the school week this semester, but will undoubtedly have a bit of free time over the weekend. So expect 6.5 then.


	34. Part 6, Section 5: Ulrich

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Six: **

**Rethinking the Known

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** Ulrich vs. Odd. Always thought Code Lyoko needed the characters to fight their friends a bit more.

**

* * *

Ulrich (Section 6.5)**

Ulrich caught himself as he fell from several meters above the ground into the savanna region. He quickly stood, and reached back to finger the device on his back, silently reassuring himself that he had arrived with his twin samurai swords. He then rested his arms at his side, watching as Valentina and Katja oriented themselves after landing.

"Aelita, where's the tower?" Ulrich asked, seeing that the two girls were also ready to continue.

"It's southeast of your present location," replied Aelita, her voice echoing through the sector. "You'll have to climb a small cliff and go through a forest. Beyond the tower is a sheer drop to a lower level of the sector. If you reach that then you have gone too far."

Ulrich had a faint idea where he was going. He had seen maps of Diitto in the past; back when the supercomputer was still in its developmental stages. "Okay, Princess, we're off then. Good luck on your end."

"Thanks; good luck," was the response.

Ulrich began to run, and Katja was at his side instantly. A quick glance over his shoulder told the man that Valentina was trailing behind them. She ran on her paws, as Odd used to do years ago. Ulrich saw a lot of his old friend in her – strange, since Valentina was only his niece.

"Daddy, the sector isn't darkened . . ." Katja said after a moment. "Jeremie's activated tower is in this region, I am sure of it."

"Good." Again, Ulrich glanced over his shoulder at Valentina. She had narrowed her purple eyes, and her face was hardened into a stony expression. "Odd has some explaining to do."

Resisting the urge to laugh, Ulrich found a burst of speed and continued in the direction of the activated tower. Soon the cliff came into view, and Ulrich paused at its base a moment after his daughter. When Valentina caught up to them, she careened past, jumped onto the sheer, rocky face of the cliff, and began to numbly climb it through the use of her claws. Before he could follow the blonde girl, Ulrich thought for a moment. He looked up and down the face of the cliff, spying a place where the flat face had crumbled enough to provide ample room for his feet as he climbed. Hurrying to the crumbled part of the cliff, Ulrich climbed it, Katja on his tail, and hastily caught up with Valentina. She had run ahead without a backwards glance.

The savanna forest came into view, a grove of knotted trees with prickles and sparse vegetation. Ulrich, Valentina, and Katja wove in and out between the trees and lowest branches. As soon as they left the forest, the tower came into view. It glowed with a green aurora, and Ulrich slowed so that he was walking as he approached. Katja mirrored his action, while Valentina continued to run to the tower. When she was little more than a few meters away, Valentina seemed to stop abruptly as she began to glow, radiating a pale white light.

Then, so swiftly that a single blink would have missed the action, the white light shot from Valentina, forming a small round sphere, and vanished into the activated tower. As the ball of light left the girl, she seemed to squint her eyes as if in pain and dug her claws into the ground beneath her.

Pulsations radiated from a point at the base of the tower, and a figure soon emerged. Odd Della Robbia looked as Ulrich had seen him last – clad in a matured version of his original Lyoko costume. Primarily purple, Odd's clothes were close-fitting and striped with yellow bands along his ankles, wrists, and middle. Along the sides of his arms were a series of spikes that protruded from his clothes, seemingly a part of them. Odd's shoes resembled boots, but Ulrich guessed that they were light enough to allow him the cat-like movement he had once relied on in battle. His hands, as before, had been turned into paws, and he had retained his costume ears atop his head in addition to his real ones. The purple marks that had once adorned his face were absent. Odd's hair, which he had grown long enough to keep in a small ponytail on Earth, was spiked back into the Lyoko-style he had kept his hair in during his earliest Kadic years.

Odd grinned as he caught sight of the three people standing outside the tower and waved eccentrically, his tail reflecting his excitement. His eyes moved between Ulrich and Valentina, Ulrich gazing at his old friend with a hint of sadness engraved upon his face, Valentina positively leering at her uncle.

"Jeremie says hi," Odd said at last, breaking the awkward silence that had filled the sector. "And to not deactivate the tower for another nine minutes or so." Odd stole another glance at those standing around him. "Not that we have to worry about that – it doesn't look as if anyone who can deactivate a tower is here."

"Hey, you know who is here . . ." Valentina said, making a point to stand on her hind paws and cross her arms over her chest. She was continuing to leer at her uncle. "_Me!_ Did you intend to tell me about Diitto? Or Xana?"

Odd reached back to scratch the side of his neck. "Um . . . well, no."

Valentina began to walk toward Odd. "Since coming here, I was chased by eagles, attacked by my classmates, and-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know about all of that," Odd said, beginning to step backwards away from his niece's advance. "Don't worry, I can explain . . ."

"You don't need to," Valentina said, her eyes narrowed menacingly. "Everyone here explained everything I needed to know."

Odd twisted his smile nervously. "Your French is much better than it was when I saw you last," he said.

"I don't give a damn about my French! I want to know why you told my parents such good things about that stupid school! If it wasn't for you, they would never have made the decision to send me to Kadic Academy!"

Ulrich watched as Valentina stopped her advance. She seemed almost on the verge of tears, though because she was on Diitto crying was impossible. Was Valentina truly unhappy at Kadic? Valentina hadn't shown any inclination that she disliked his old school. From what Ulrich could tell, she got along with all of the other young Diitto warriors – even able to bridge the gap between them and Matthias at times.

Sparing at glance at his daughter, Ulrich saw that Katja had adopted a rather strange expression. She seemed rather amused, eyes held in a slightly elitist way. She tended to wear the same expression on the days when she brought home her report card.

"Valentina, Valentina – calm down for a minute," Odd began, taking a tentative step toward the girl, holding out his paws in a defensive manner. "I thought you would like it at Kadic Academy – I really did. I really enjoyed my time there, and figured that you'd be the same way."

"You were wrong!" Valentina screamed, lunging at Odd as she curled her paw-like hands into fists. "You were wrong, wrong, _wrong_!" she said, attempting to punch her uncle. He swiftly dodged the blow, bouncing away from her.

"Valentina, if you strike me I'll disappear. I don't have any life points in this state. Hey-" Odd turned to Ulrich, eyes wide with worry. "-a little help, good buddy?"

"Supersprint," Ulrich said, using the program's speed to instantly move behind Valentina and grab her by the arms, preventing her from striking Odd.

"Let go of me!" Valentina said, struggling against Ulrich's grasp. She grabbed his arm and gripped him lightly with her claws, though did not squeeze. Instead, she dropped to the ground and hid her face in the dirt, sobbing dry tears.

Ulrich glanced again in the direction of his daughter. To his disappointment, Katja was standing limply on the outskirts of the scene, head cocked slightly, though more in amusement than confusion. Ulrich wondered if her actions were something he would have to talk to her about when they got home . . .

"Jeremie says that he's almost done, by the way," Odd said a moment later, watching Valentina from a distance. Ulrich could tell that he wanted to approach her, and yet he was hesitant to do so just in case the girl struck him.

"Odd, what would happen if you were hit in your present state?" Ulrich asked, a worried feeling within hinting the answer to his question.

"I really don't know," Odd admitted brusquely, beginning to play with the tip of his tail. "But I don't think it's in my best interest. I think that I'm supposed to go back into Valentina after the tower is deactivated. Hey, Valentina-" Odd said, suddenly maintaining a serious tone. "-if you hadn't come to Kadic this year, I would be as good as dead. Does that make things any better?"

Valentina met her uncle's gaze, her eyes stiff. "You could have at least told me about Lyoko or Diitto," she muttered under her breath, barely loud enough for Ulrich to hear, much less Odd since he was so much farther away. "You could have told me why Kadic had such an impact on you. Then you would have known that my parents wanted to get rid of me for a different reason, that going away for school wouldn't have the same effect on us . . ."

"Jeremie keeps telling me stuff," Odd said, interrupting Valentina's whispered mumblings. Ulrich turned to face his old friend, wondering what Jeremie had to say this time. Maybe he'd found a way to send Yumi home?

"What is Jeremie saying?"

"He will finish the patch in approximately two minutes time, and with it Xana will no longer be able to edit programs as he has been doing. You, well, Aelita will be free to work on her reformation programs. By the way, since I'm going to be reformed last, you all better be taking care of my affairs. I don't want to go home just to be thrown into jail for not doing my taxes or something.

"Jeremie also says that if he needs to contact you all again he will activate another tower. Though he can send messages through other means, such other means are via the Internet and thus exposed to Xana. In other words, he's done with the chat messages that Nancy intercepted, so don't trust anything of the sort from him in the future."

Odd paused, glancing back at the activated tower behind him. He then, to Ulrich's surprise, turned to address Katja. "And you – remember to be careful. Jeremie would like me to stress that as well." Ulrich was thoroughly bewildered by Odd's statement. Why would Jeremie want Katja to be careful? He definitely needed to talk to his daughter once they returned to Earth . . .

Having delivered Jeremie's words, Odd was left to act of his own accord once more. He gingerly stepped toward Valentina and Ulrich. Moving forward to meet him, Ulrich quickly embraced his best friend and then stepped aside so that Odd could squat beside Valentina. Her eyes were still stuff and emotionless, and she seemed to be gazing beyond her uncle into the distance.

"Valentina, if you are unhappy here, then I really am sorry for suggesting Kadic Academy to your parents. If there were a way to return to the past and change things, I would certainly do so. No pun intended."

Meeting her uncle's gaze, Valentina opened her mouth as if to speak, but just as she did so the sector darkened. In a heartbeat, Ulrich watched as the green smoke enveloping the activated tower reddened, as Odd seemed to twitch. Before Ulrich could truly grasp what was happening, Odd seized Valentina by the shoulders, yanked her upward, and then tossed her across the clearing with the tower. She screamed as she landed in the dirt.

Odd raised one arm and pointed it in Valentina's direction. Simultaneously, Ulrich reached out and tried to restrain Odd. He remembered the spikes along his friend's arm too late, and felt his hands sting with the loss of life points that accompanied the touch.

"Katja, get Valentina away from the activated tower!" Ulrich yelled, glancing over his shoulder in the direction of his daughter as Odd turned to advance upon him. Katja dissolved in a blur upon his command, snapping out of her strange stupor in the crisis. Odd shot a laser arrow at him as he spoke, and Ulrich estimated that the impact had left him with roughly half of his life points. He'd be able to survive maybe two more hits, and then he'd be done for.

"Triplicate!" Ulrich hissed, watching as his two clones formed a triangle around Odd with him. One clone immediately attacked, drawing both swords, while Odd spun to face it. Two quick laser arrows and it was destroyed. The other clone attacked as Ulrich jumped away from Odd, beginning to run in the direction opposite Valentina and Katja. With any luck, Odd would follow him instead of his niece. It was clear that, in his Xanafied state, he was attacking her to make sure that there was no vessel for him to return to. If Valentina was de-virtualized, Xana would have succeeded in capturing Odd's digital essence, and he would then have every part of his old friend under his control. To prevent that from happening, Ulrich was determined to do everything in his power to keep Valentina safe until Aelita was able to deactivate the tower.

The only problem was that Ulrich didn't know if it would be safe for him to actually strike Odd. If a single hit would cause him to disappear, then he couldn't afford such an action. But if he had gained life points under Xana's possession then force might be required to keep him from de-virtualizing his niece. His clones had aimed as if to strike him, though Ulrich knew that they reflected his instinct when acting, and his first instinct _had_ been to hit Odd in order to keep him from de-virtualizing Valentina. If someone were to access one of the monitors back in the bunker, it would be easy to see if Odd had gained any life points. But there didn't seem to be any chance of that happening soon.

As he had hoped, Odd began to run after Ulrich. He fired several laser arrows at Ulrich, all of which the samurai was able to dodge. Ulrich continued to run, leading Odd farther away from Valentina and the activated tower. Odd seemed to grow angrier with every passing moment, screaming at Ulrich as he lunged at him. Ulrich was grazed by the spikes on Odd's arms, losing even more life points. He drew his samurai swords and used them to deflect the next array of laser arrows. Then, acting upon instinct, Ulrich attacked.

"Supersprint!" he cried, lunging toward Odd. He only scraped his friend's chest, knowing that if he landed a clean slice through then he would be de-virtualized or destroyed (or whatever the term was for Odd in his present state) instantly. Odd froze momentarily after the hit, though soon lunged at Ulrich again in retaliation. Ulrich dodged, blocking the attack with one of his swords. A resonance of metal striking metal echoed through the sector as Ulrich's sword met the spikes on one of Odd's arms. Growling, Odd met Ulrich's gaze. His eyes bore the mark of Lyoko instead of pupils. Odd used Ulrich's momentary distraction to lunge into his chest with the side of his arm. Ulrich was thrown backward with the impact, and his head began to spin a bit. There was no way he would be able to take another hit – if he was struck again, he would be de-virtualized upon impact. That couldn't happen just yet. Ulrich needed to give Aelita time to reach the activated tower.

Jumping to his feet, Ulrich began to supersprint even farther from the tower, dodging laser arrows as he went. He leapt atop a large rock, then turned to face Odd, using his swords to block the next three laser arrows.

"Hey, buddy, snap out of it!" Ulrich said as Odd dropped to his paws and began to crouch as if preparing to pounce. The samurai moved out of the way of the cat, watching as Odd landed where he had been moments before, his left arm coming into contact with the rock. It was scraped and nicked upon impact, reminding Ulrich just how sharp his arm spikes were. Landing, Ulrich turned and continued to run away from the tower-

He toppled over the edge of the drop Aelita had warned him about earlier, frantically reaching out to grab the edge. It proved too difficult to hold with his swords, so Ulrich dropped one and then struggled to return the other to the device on his back before reaching for the cliff and grabbing it with a second hand. It wasn't beyond his abilities to pull himself back up again . . .

Then Odd appeared, mouth parted slightly in a victorious, maniac grin. Ulrich watched in trepidation as he raised his arm and pointed it at him, preparing to shoot.

"Odd, don't-"

But Ulrich's words were lost as the arrow struck his forehead, and as he began to fall through the sector while dissolving into a thousand tiny white panels.

**

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Author's Note:** Okey-dokey, here's the plan. There are two more sections in Part 6. As of this note I see Part 8 being a mid-season finale cliffhanger of sorts, and the entire story being about 15 Parts total. This is subject to change as my ideas develop or are scrapped for different ones.

As always, thanks for any reviews and feel free to drop a review if you're enjoying _The Diitto Generation._ I'll try to have the next section up within a couple of days, though I do need to do some studying this weekend.


	35. Part 6, Section 6: Nancy

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Six: **

**Rethinking the Known

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** Here's the next section; hope you enjoy! It's shorter than usual, so I hope my readers will forgive me for that. However I do believe this little segment needed to be written.

**

* * *

Nancy (Section 6.6)**

"_What was that?"_

Nancy looked up at the ceiling, heart beating frantically within her chest. There was definitely something above them in the lab. Seconds before, a crash had echoed down the elevator shaft, sending a shiver through the small girl's spine.

"What was _what_?" Waldo's voice asked, emerging from the speakers on Franz's laptop. Via the Lyoko-DL that Franz and Nancy had programmed, he was able to still communicate with those on Earth while on Lyoko. Nancy turned to face Franz, seated beside her on the floor of the scanner room, as he frantically typed on his keyboard.

"Uh, there's something loud above us – hang on, you'll be back in a moment," Franz said hastily.

"Something lou-"

Waldo's voice was cut off as Franz tapped the enter key. The scanner that his laptop was plugged into hummed to life, and Nancy watched as it opened. Breathing heavily, Waldo stumbled out of the large structure and took a quick look around the room, trying to get his bearings. Meanwhile, Franz disconnected his laptop from the cords that attached it to the scanner, handing the ends to Nancy. Understandingly, she stood, shaking, and began to roll the cords into a neat loop.

For the third time, the elevator shaft seemed to echo with the sounds of something large. Nancy was thoroughly terrified – whatever was up in the lab, it was dangerous. Xana was attacking, so he was most likely behind the existence of the creature . . . whatever it was.

"We have to get to the bunker," Franz said after he had packed his computer and the cords into his backpack.

The elevator shaft seemed to howl, and the sound of banging echoed once more. Nancy crossed her arms over her chest, glancing at Franz. "But what about whatever is up there?"

Franz's eyes narrowed. "We don't have much of a choice, do we?" he said firmly, turning toward the elevator. Waldo followed immediately, having regained himself after being brought back from Lyoko, while Nancy hesitated before running to catch up to the two boys.

Once in the elevator, Franz punched the button that would take them up to the gallery. The elevator began to move, and the kids heard growling as they passed the stop that would have brought them to the room with the fried computer monitor. Nancy brought her arms even closer to her chest.

"That sounds like a dog," Waldo said.

"Do you think Xana got control of a dog and sent it after us?" Franz asked his brother.

"I'd think so. Dogs can chew through wires – that would explain the power outage. But they can't use a keypad, which would explain why you two weren't attacked in the scanner room."

Franz seemed to shrug. He glanced at his watch. "The text Katja sent me is ten minutes old. We have to hurry."

"But what about the dog?" Nancy asked.

"If there's only one, then it's in the lab, based on the noises we heard. I think we'll be able to cross the gallery and leave the factory before it takes the back way out to come after us. If there's more than one dog . . ."

"Then we might need to split up," Waldo said, picking up where his brother began to trail off. He glanced from Franz to Nancy, green eyes illuminating his seriousness. "If there are two towers activated on Diitto, then Mom can deactivate one, so only I or Franz needs to get to the bunker." Waldo turned to Nancy. "It would be better if you got there, too, so you could orient whoever was sent in case nobody else is around to do so, but if you didn't make it to the bunker it wouldn't be the end of the world."

"I don't like dogs," Nancy said quickly, forcing herself to keep Waldo's gaze. She _really_ didn't like dogs - especially large ones with large teeth. When she was three, Nancy had watched as the neighbor's German Shepherd had attacked Matthias for tormenting it. Matthias had come away with a bite on his hand, and to the day there was still a scar there, but he hadn't developed a fear of canines and still occasionally tried to convince his parents to adopt one. Nancy had decided that she never wanted to be near a dog ever again.

"Don't worry, we'll protect you," Franz said cheekily, clearly trying to amuse Nancy (and failing) as the elevator lurched to a stop. The door opened, and the three kids headed for the ladder. Franz reached it first, but hesitated just long enough for Nancy to start climbing before him.

"It's coming – I can feel it," Waldo said hastily just as Nancy started to climb. "It's moving at a Xanfied pace-"

A howl echoed through the gallery, and as she climbed the ladder leading to the bridge Nancy turned to see what was happening below her. One of the largest dogs she had ever seen was careening down the gallery, heading straight for Franz and Waldo. It was brown and black, and wore a jacket to mark it as a police dog.

"Franz, go – I'll distract it!" Waldo said, beginning to run down gallery away from the approaching dog. Nancy watched in horror, too petrified to speak or scream, as the dog caught up to Waldo. But her classmate somehow knew what the dog was about to do before it could grab him, and he twisted out of the way, narrowly avoiding its teeth. As it stumbled, hitting the ground, Waldo headed farther into the factory, dangerously dancing around the dog's repeated attacks.

"Nancy, move! He'll be fine!" Franz said. Hastily, Nancy began to climb again, hands shaking still. She reached the top of the ladder and stood as if waiting for Franz, but he urged her to head for the sewers. Too terrified to disobey, Nancy began to run across the bridge. She heard the sound of barking, and watched as a second dog, a second police hound, began running toward her from the street. She reached the manhole, though froze completely after doing so. Images of Matthias's hand, covered in blood, flashed through her mind. Of the neighbor's dog having a muzzle covered in blood. Of-

"Oh, for crying out loud!"

Nancy squeaked as Franz shoved his backpack into her hands and then began to run past her in the direction of the dog. Before she could ask what he was doing, he called back to her.

"Get to the bunker! I'll distract this one long enough for you to leave."

"But-"

"_Nancy, go!_"

Frantically, Nancy swung Franz's backpack over her shoulders and headed down into the sewers. She stepped onto her scooter and began to fly in the direction of the bunker, positive that her beating heart could be heard echoing off the damp walls. She hoped that Waldo and Franz would be okay. Her insides felt as if they were rotting. In the face of danger, she had been an embarrassment. Franz and Waldo needed to get to the bunker, and instead both of them had sacrificed themselves for her. That was unacceptable. Her fear was unacceptable . . . Nancy was ashamed to had acted so poorly. Waldo already seemed to act aloof around her, and now Franz, who had always been so nice to her, had become frustrated with her uselessness.

She had the ability to use lightning, supposedly. She should have been the one to stay behind and fight the dogs, but instead she had frozen, unable to bring herself to do much beside stare and panic. She really was useless. Too afraid to go to Diitto, too afraid to use her genetic powers . . . Nancy was disgusted with herself.

But, if she could make it to the bunker, then perhaps she could redeem herself.

Nancy hurried through the sewers, doing her best to keep her scattered, frenzied thoughts focused. But the sewers confused her, and though she had long ago gotten over the strange smells and dripping sounds, the shadows still got to her. Several times, Nancy skidded to a stop, eyes wide with fear, only to realize that it had been a harmless shadow to set off her alarms.

"I'm almost there now . . ." Nancy muttered to herself, slowing her scooter momentarily as she rounded a corner. The bunker was just up ahead. Another corner, then another, and Nancy was brought to the stretch of sewer where the entrance to the bunker lay.

A large dog was guarding the door, lips curled upward in a snarl. His teeth gleamed, even in the faint lighting surrounding Nancy, sending a spasm of fear through every fiber of her body.

Slowly, the dog began to advance, the mark of Lyoko glowing in its bloodthirsty eyes.

Nancy watched, frozen, as the large, Xanified police dog drew closer and closer to her. Somehow, her left foot managed to take a step backward, and her hands moved her scooter up against the wall of the narrow ledge. Growling, the dog continued its advance, and Nancy took a few cautious steps backward. The bunker was less than eight meters away from her now. Dog or no dog, she _needed_ to get into the bunker. Waldo and Franz hadn't distracted the first two dogs they'd come across just so she could run away when she was so, so close . . .

Holding her hands out before her, Nancy felt tears begin to stream down the side of her face. The dog continued its advance, teeth bared. It had such large teeth.

"Please, go away! I don't want to fight you!" Nancy choked, watching as the dog prepared to jump at her. It did, and she moved against the wall of the sewer, dodging. In the next second, the dog lunged at her. Nancy cringed. In the blink of an eye, the dog, which had moments before been about to bite her, was lying motionless on the path across the waterway. Heart pounding, Nancy stared in disbelief at the dog, then slowly lifted her hands to inspect them. The tiniest spark jumped from her left pinky.

Knowing that she would undoubtedly panic if she thought about the fact that she had just shot lightning, Nancy grabbed her scooter and hurried into the bunker, slamming the door closed behind her. She still had to get to the supercomputer. Xana's attack wasn't over yet.

**

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Author's Note:** The next section should be up around the end of the week.


	36. Part 6, Section 7: Valentina

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Six: **

**Rethinking the Known

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**

**Author's Note:** I meant to have this up earlier . . . I apologize a thousand times over for the delay, I really do. But here is the final section of the sixth Part of _The Diitto Generation._ I hope you, my wonderful readers, enjoy!

**

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Valentina (Section 6.7)**

The savanna sector darkened, though Valentina barely had time to register that little detail. Before she knew what had happened, she found herself crumpled on the ground, head spinning from the impact. In the distance, Valentina watched through unfocused eyes as Mr. Stern seemed to grab her uncle. Ulrich shouted something as well, though Valentina failed to register his words. Her head was still swimming with emotion.

Suddenly, Valentina felt something light brush against her shoulder. She turned to see Katja leaning over her.

"Hey, snap out of it – we need to get out of here," Katja said curtly, reaching out to help Valentina onto her paws. Valentina snapped her eyes shut in a futile attempt to combat the dizziness that plagued her. She didn't fully understand what was happening . . .

"My head hurts . . ." was all that Valentina managed to say as she began to slowly follow Katja back in the direction of the grove of trees that they had passed earlier on their way to the activated tower.

"Well, you were just thrown," Katja muttered, glancing feverishly back over her shoulder before meeting Valentina's gaze. "Daddy seems to be leading him away from the tower. But we still should disappear in case he comes after us."

"Why is my uncle attacking us . . . ?"

"When Aelita deactivated Xana's original tower he was able to take control of Jeremie's activated tower, thus gaining control of Odd. How hard did you hit your head?"

Valentina said nothing else, sensing a feeling of frustration within Katja. The other girl led her back into the savanna forest, continuously glancing back in the direction of the tower. With every step that she took, Valentina's head cleared slightly, and finally she felt confident enough to speak again, though she began in English since that was easier.

"He's going for me, isn't he? My uncle."

"I think so. If he can de-virtualize you then, even if Aelita manages to deactivate the tower, his digital essence would be trapped on Diitto for a little while. That time might be enough for Xana to capture it fully," Katja replied.

Valentina glanced back in the direction of the tower. She could see the very top of it over the trees. Then, she began to run, forcing Katja to do the same. They reached the cliff that they had climbed before, and Katja stopped. Valentina did the same, though only after seeing that the older girl was no longer moving.

"Why are we stopping?"

Katja's back was to Valentina as she spoke, eyes glued in the direction of the tower. "I don't want to go too far away," she admitted. "If we go too much farther, then getting you back will be a pain."

"I see," Valentina said, moving from her animal stance to a sitting position. She blinked in the direction of the activated tower, squinting through the forest. Diitto was a still, lifeless place, even though it was brightly colored in certain sectors.

"Katja, Valentina?"

Valentina instinctively glanced skyward as Nancy's voice filled the sector. Katja, too, betrayed a look of bewilderment as Nancy seemed to cough a little, sounding out of breath.

"Mr. Stern was de-virtualized as I got here. He wants you to watch out for Mr. Della Robbia!" Nancy said quickly.

"Okay, we will," Katja replied, crossing her arms as she reached up to draw the twin j-shaped swords from the tips of her wings. She held her weapons at her side as she walked in the direction of the forest, stopping beside the nearest tree. Then, she tossed a look over her shoulder to meet Valentina's gaze. "When he finds us, you run. I'll do what I can to keep him from going after you."

"According to the supercomputer, Odd has eighty life points, Katja," Nancy said. "Oh, and your dad wants me to tell you not to de-virtualize him. Hang on, I'm gonna show him where the other headset is . . ."

A moment later, Ulrich's voice filled the sector. "Katja, I'm going to monitor you and Valentina while Nancy helps Aelita, Kokoro, and Matthias to reach the activated tower. Using energy from the tower, Xana just materialized several monsters, too, so watch out for those."

"Okay, Daddy," Katja said, insulted by having been given such detailed instructions. Valentina then watched as Katja's expression changed drastically – the vexed look in her eyes was replaced with wide start, and Valentina hastily trailed her gaze into the forest.

Odd was coming for her, and two krabbes trailed a few paces behind him. Without a second glance, Valentina ran, heading to her left. She heard Katja activate her signature program, blur, and then found herself too far away from the battle to hear much else.

"Valentina, Matthias is breaking away from Kokoro and Aelita to defend you," Ulrich said after a moment. "Head north, and you should intercept him soon. Err, at least I think that's the right direction. This map-"

"Go north, Valentina," Nancy said.

"Right, I am heading north," Valentina mused, switching directions. She took a straight course, climbing straight over any obstacles she came across. Her claws made it possible for her to scale rocks in her path of any angle.

"Valentina!"

Matthias moved into view, and Valentina ran to meet him. The two stopped a few steps away from one another, and Valentina rose onto her feet to stand.

"I'm supposed to protect you or something," Matthias said after a moment, hiding the slightest hint of a smile. "Not that you need protecting under normal circumstances."

Valentina raised an eyebrow at Matthias, but before she could say anything Nancy spoke to the pair of them. "Matthias, Valentina – Katja was just de-virtualized, but the good news is that Mrs. Belpois and Kokoro have reached the vicinity of the activated tower."

"So we should be running from Odd?" Valentina asked.

"Yes," Ulrich replied. "And he's making good time to meet up with you. I wouldn't attack him directly anymore, though, Matthias. He only has thirty life points left. We need him alive, remember."

"I know that. I'm not stupid," Matthias added under his breath, materializing his sword to his right hand.

Valentina briefly met the boy's gaze. "No, you are not. But you really should stop stating the obvious so often." Before dropping back onto her paws, Valentina gave Matthias a playful nudge on the shoulder. Though she didn't get to see his reaction, she guessed that he was somewhere between confused and pleased.

"Let's see if we can make it back to the forest," Matthias said quickly. "There are enough trees there to give me an idea . . ."

"You need trees to have ideas?" asked Valentina as she headed in the direction of the forest, unable to bite her tongue.

"No – the trees – shut up . . ."

Matthias, however, did not look the least bit offended by Valentina's question as he passed her while running. They made it to the forest and found that they had become close enough to Aelita and Kokoro to hear what Nancy said to them specifically. The girl was speaking rapid French, not bothering to slow her tongue for Valentina's benefit as the others usually did, so Valentina was unable to catch most of what she said. Matthias, meanwhile, paused briefly, eyes betraying his bewilderment, before he seemed to remember the task at hand.

The tall boy looked around then moved deeper into the savanna forest, stopping abruptly in a small clearing perhaps twice Valentina's height. Valentina stopped behind him, though Matthias reached over and dragged her by the shoulder to the center of the clearing, then grabbed his sword with both hands. He stepped within striking distance of one of the surrounding trees.

"I think this will work," he muttered. "Electric snake!"

Matthias drove his large sword into the trunk of the tree, though he did not sever it. Two waves of electricity burst from his weapon, one traveling left and the other right. Valentina watched as the electricity engulfed the tree and spread to the neighboring trees, electrifying them as well. Twisting around, Valentina watched as, behind her, the two snake heads met and merged, creating an electric shield around the clearing. So long as Matthias kept his sword in the trunk of one of the trees, it would stay strong.

"I'd like to see your uncle get through this!" Matthias said proudly, glancing back to grin at Valentina.

"Mr. Della – gah – Odd just switched directions a moment ago," Nancy said quickly. "I think he's heading back to the tower . . ."

"What?" Matthias said in disbelief. "Really? Aww . . ."

"Xana must have decided that it's more prudent for him to keep his tower activated than it is to de-virtualize Valentina," Ulrich observed.

"Valentina, Matthias, you two should also head back to the activated tower," Nancy said a few seconds later. "It looks like Aelita and Kokoro might need your help. It's now really obvious what Xana was using the energy from the activated tower for . . ."

Matthias struggled his sword from the trunk of the tree, as Valentina asked, "What?"

"There's a new monster on Diitto," Nancy said. "And – just get to the tower. Whoa, why are Kokoro's life points regenerating . . . ?"

Valentina and Matthias exchanged bewildered glances before beginning to streak in the direction of the tower, Matthias making his sword disappear after a couple of steps so that he could run unburdened by its weight. The top of the activated tower soon came into view, and then Valentina saw something large flit in and out of her view. Matthias also caught sight of the object, though Valentina assumed that, because he was standing, he got a better look at it. That, and he stopped, frozen, in place, eyes widened as he glanced skyward. Alarmed, Valentina also stopped and stood, letting her eyes scan the sky.

Her eyes widened at what she saw, and she dropped to her paws again so that she could continue back in the direction of the tower. A moment later Matthias was at her size, also recovered from the shock.

"Kokoro's not having any effect on the new monster, but the last of the krabbes are gone now," Nancy said.

"She's down to eighty life points," Ulrich said. "She appears to lose one every passing second. Seventy-six, seventy-five . . ."

"Was that thing . . . ?" Valentina began as she and Matthias broke free of the savanna forest. The tower came into view, as did the battle surrounding it. A large dragon, its length comparative to that of a standard bus, was circling the tower, shooting great balls of fire down upon a second massive creature.

"That's Kokoro?" Matthias asked in disbelief, staring at the dragon as it continued to fire a volley of orb-shaped flames at the giant monster surrounding the tower.

"Yes, that's Kokoro."

Valentina turned to see Mrs. Belpois standing less than ten feet away, eyes fixed firmly upon the gigantic creature at the base of the tower. Snake-like, it was coiled around it, preventing Aelita's access. Its silvery scales gleamed, and its head was raised. Twin lasers, much larger than the lasers shot by all the other monsters (sans the megatanks) shot periodically from its eyes. The dragon, long and thin, was nimble enough to avoid these attacks, though.

"And that's the largest looking creeper I've ever seen," Aelita continued. "Well, it's not a carbon copy, but Xana seemed to have gotten the idea from the old core monster . . ."

"What do we do about it?" Valentina asked.

Matthias materialized his sword. "We attack!" he said, charging. Aelita and Valentina watched him go, as the supercreeper turned and fixed its gaze upon the boy. A silvery tongue flicked in and out of its mouth, and then it began to move toward him, uncoiling from around the tower.

"Now is your chance!" Valentina said, turning to Mrs. Belpois. A pink flash whizzed by her ear, and Valentina whirled around in place to see that Odd had found her. She dodged two laser arrows, narrowly, and then, began to follow Aelita in the direction of the tower rather than stay beside her uncle. Before her eyes, Matthias was hit by one of the supercreeper's lasers and blasted back into a thousand little white panels.

Valentina cringed as a laser arrow came into contact with her back, and glanced over her shoulder to see Odd racing toward her. She then was engulfed in dizziness as she came into contact with something hard and metallic.

Blinking, Valentina saw that Kokoro had landed before her. As a dragon, she was breathtaking. Her scales started out red atop and became darker, blackened, by the time they reached her belly and feet. When Kokoro moved, she gleamed silver.

_Climb on, both of you!_

Valentina heard nothing, and yet Kokoro's voice penetrated her mind. Without hesitating, she climbed onto the dragon's back behind Aelita. A laser arrow shot past her face as Kokoro jumped into the air, her long body rippling in wingless flight. Seconds passed, and Valentina was barely able to keep up with Kokoro's movement.

"Twenty life points left, Kokoro!" Ulrich warned.

"Look out for the supercreeper!" Nancy warned.

Kokoro landed again, merely a few paces away from the activated tower. Aelita slid from her back and careened toward it. Valentina watched, then felt herself fall to the ground. Kokoro had been hit by one of the supercreeper's lasers as she ferried Aelita the final stretch to the tower. She had been de-virtualized beneath Valentina. And with Kokoro gone, there was nothing between Valentina and the supercreeper.

The enormous bus-sized monster flicked its tongue in and out before slithering closer to the girl. Scrambling to her paws, she shouted "Ice ray!" in English, aiming for the creature's tongue as it, once again, slipped in and out of the monster's mouth. Upon impact, the supercreeper was de-virtualized. Kokoro's barrage of fireballs had failed before because none of them had managed to hit the monster's weak point.

But with the supercreeper gone, Odd remained. Valentina's heart pounded as he neared, arm raised so that he could fire upon her. She couldn't attack him without de-virtualizing him, and there was only so much dodging she could do . . .

Then, Odd stopped altogether. Valentina watched as he dropped to his knees and then collapsed onto the dirt, seconds later beginning to glow a pale white light that morphed into a small, illuminated ball. Odd's digital essence hovered in place for a moment before shooting into Valentina's chest, fusing with her in a flash of dizziness and pain. Valentina snapped her eyes shut, trying to rid herself of the uncomfortable sensation.

Without warning, the memory that the girl had gained upon being virtualized earlier surfaced again. It belonged to her uncle. He had been running through the core, fighting mantas, panicking as Xana had started to de-virtualize him for his own warped desires. Her uncle's last thoughts had been of her – his remorse for having brought Valentina into such a mess without her consent, that he wouldn't be able to take her to Kadic and that, if the opportunity presented itself, be able to show her Diitto . . .

When Valentina opened her eyes again, she watched as her paws began to fade as Nancy manually de-virtualized her.

**

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Author's Note:** Again, I'm really, really sorry this took so long to finish and upload. It's the last section of the Part, so I'd really appreciate any feedback or reviews on the story. I do adore each and every review and the reviewers that give them.

I aim to have the next section up on Monday because that's the three-month anniversary of me posting this, but no promises. I am a busy college student, after all.

Just a note – Kokoro does not have wings as a dragon because she is a Japanese dragon. If you search 'Japanese dragon' you get pictures of what I hope I was able to describe well enough, though do keep in mind that people like to tattoo themselves in strange places if you do decide to search.

Thanks for reading,

_~ Lav_


	37. The Return to the Past

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Seven: **

**The Return to the Past

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**Author's Note:** Three months ago to this day I posted the prologue and first two sections of this story. More than 100,000 words later, I am barely nearing my estimated midway point for the first two 'seasons' of the story. In three months, I've encountered so many wonderful readers and reviewers, and because of you I continue to upload new sections so regularly. I cannot thank you enough for all of the views and reviews. I do take great care with this story, reading each section at least twice before uploading it in search of errors and plot inconsistencies (within my human limitations) to make sure that my beloved readers get the best that they can. Anyway, I am quite proud of this section, and hope that it's worthy of being posted on this significant date. Let the plot thicken~

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Waldo (Section 7.1)**

Jeremie Belpois centered himself before the camera embedded in the monitor of the supercomputer. The lab behind him was shrouded in darkness, only the faintest traces of light flickering in the background as if from the small flame of a candle. The glow of the computer monitor illuminated Jeremie's youthful face, his blond hair, as he adjusted his glasses quickly before beginning to speak.

"I can't even begin to fathom how something like the return to the past was made," the eighth-grade boy began, staring intently at the screen. "To be able to control time itself, even within limitations, is unheard of. And yet, via the supercomputer, I have in fact sent my friends and myself back in time on countless occasions."

Pausing briefly, Jeremie reached for a small object in his lap and held it up to the camera. One of the earliest mobiles, its glowing screen claimed that the time was 3:17 in the morning and showed the date. Jeremie began to speak once more as he held the cell phone within the sights of the camera.

"For the past week now, it has been 3:17 in the morning. One week ago I and the other Lyoko warriors woke to find that we were the only ones awake. The flow of time had stopped, and everything but the supercomputer and us had frozen. Thus I was able to conclude that Xana had launched another attack – only, instead of freezing us, we were left as the only ones awake. Over the past few days, Aelita and I have come to the conclusion that Xana _did_ do something to the return to the past to cause this mess. But, as of the moment, we still don't know how to unfreeze time."

"Jeremie, spend a little more time explaining how Xana intended his attack to go," interrupted a voice hidden from the sight of the camera. Glancing sideways, Jeremie set down the mobile in his hand (which had served its purpose by showing that it had been frozen onto one time) as a second person came into view of the camera. The ninth-grade Yumi Ishiyama had short black hair parted on its side and wore a black turtleneck. She moved to stand behind Jeremie's chair, leaning over his shoulder to look into the camera.

"It was originally your theory, Yumi," Jeremie said, glancing back at the older girl. "Why don't you explain what we think happened?"

"Fine," Yumi muttered, not seeming too happy about speaking into the camera. However, her eyes were held in such a way that hinted that, regardless of whether or not she wanted to participate in the video log, she had already resigned herself to the task. "Two weeks ago, or what should be two weeks ago, Xana attacked. Jeremie and Aelita immediately knew that the return to the past was at the heart of the attack, since – well – everything aside from us is frozen in time, but for a little bit we didn't have any idea why Xana would try to alter the programming of the return to the past.

"We tossed around several ideas before settling on mine. Jeremie thought that Xana wanted to render the return to the past useless, thus making his attacks more dangerous. Aelita guessed that he was trying to make us, the Lyoko warriors, oblivious to the return to the pasts as everyone else is. Doing so would make it much harder for us to combat him, since we wouldn't be able to remember individual attacks – if we even remembered the supercomputer at all after Xana was done with us. Odd came up with the ridiculous idea that Xana was trying to strengthen himself through the return to the pasts and that he just accidentally froze time in the process. Ulrich just thinks that the return to the past broke itself, since there doesn't seem to be any trace of Xana on Lyoko anymore. That is to say, he doesn't believe Xana isn't involved – he just doesn't think he is responsible – or something . . ."

As she uttered her final words, Yumi's face slowly grew slightly pinker, and she reached up to rub her neck, smiling slightly. Jeremie rolled his eyes and grunted, and Yumi instantly seemed to snap out of her brief daze and continue.

"Anyway, I wasn't able to come up with a reason for why time had frozen initially. We all agreed to come up with one possible reason, as previously mentioned, and posed them to one another three days ago. After listening to everyone else's ideas, I became inspired by Aelita's and Jeremie's – by far the most reasonable. Since we have all been scanned into the supercomputer, we are irreversibly connected to it. There wouldn't be a way for us to not sense them if the program were to be launched. However, because the return to the past has been a priceless aid in our battle against Xana, it was worth the risk of trying to disable it. But core programs can't just be done away with, and Xana must have known that, so he decided to do away with us. If we were frozen permanently, then Xana wouldn't have to worry about us anymore. Thus, he made his modifications to the return to the past program, launched it, and inadvertently froze everything _but_ us instead."

Yumi turned back to Jeremie. "Was that good enough?" she asked.

Jeremie nodded. "Of course," he said, meeting Yumi's gaze briefly to address her. "So, that is how we came to be frozen in time. Aelita and I have begun to try and make modifications of our own to the return to the past program. We believe that our only chance of getting out of this mess is to launch a modified version of the return to the past. The regular one doesn't exactly work – it appears that time needs to be flowing in one direction, so to speak, in order for it to be reversed. Since time is at a standstill, we have no way to reverse it through the means presently at our disposal-"

Jeremie paused, mouth slightly parted, as Waldo paused the video player on his desktop. The sixth-grader was sitting at his desk at Kadic, head propped against his right hand and somewhat unfocused gaze fixed on the screen. "Well?" he asked the girl standing behind him. "What do you think?"

"Mom needed to grow out her hair," Kokoro said bluntly, crossing her arms over her chest. For the past week, Waldo had been scanning the video he had gotten from Lyoko for clues hinting how to fix the return to the past. Not surprisingly, he hadn't encountered anything of true value, aside from the knowledge that Xana had messed with the return to the past before. When Waldo had shown Ulrich and Aelita the video, both had been baffled by it. Neither of them could remember such a Xana attack, which was understandable given the ending of the multi-entry video log. Unable to resist, Waldo forwarded the video to the last entry and started it.

Jeremie appeared in the chair in the lab once more, illuminated by the glow of the supercomputer's monitor. His hair was slightly disheveled, similar in length to Franz's. It was obvious that several weeks had elapsed since the first entry of the log.

"Well, I've done it. At least, I think I have. I won't ever know if I've successfully altered the return to the past to take us back to before Xana froze time. According to the simulations I have been running, we will all lose our memories. I cannot explain why this will happen, but it might be because the return to the past was not designed to make such large jumps. I did make some major alterations to the base coding, but if the program works as it should any changes I make should be lost since they would have been implemented at a time after our jump."

Jeremie paused briefly, then continued, sighing before he did so. "Likewise, there is no way to guarantee that these logs will remain after I launch the program. However, I will attempt to cloister them deep into the supercomputer's memory component, which reacts differently to the return to the pasts than many of its other parts. I think the video logs, which I will condense into one entry so that they do not get separated from one another, will be safe there. Though I doubt that I'd ever find them again; unless someone were to scan the data within the supercomputer specifically in search of everything related to the return to the past – and I can't fathom why anyone would do that – it will probably remain hidden away."

Again, Jeremie paused. He took a deep breath. "I hope that nobody ever sees this. The past six weeks were a nightmare in more ways than one. Though a couple of us would probably disagree . . ."

The video log ended there. Waldo closed the application that had played it, then rotated in his seat to meet Kokoro's gaze. "Really – did you get anything out of that?" he asked her.

"What did you skip over?" Kokoro asked.

"My dad updated the log whenever he had a new idea – nothing of importance. And Yumi never appeared past the second entry – even though there were several background voices on occasion. There was one entry before the one you saw when my dad simply stated that he was frozen in time." Waldo paused and then blew a small raspberry, disappointed. "Are you are sure that you got nothing out of that?" he asked Kokoro for the third time.

"I'm just as confused as everyone else, I can assure you that," Kokoro grumbled. "You must have been wrong. My mom doesn't control my reactions as Mr. Dunbar controls Matthias's. Even then, he only acts like a lovesick puppy on Diitto – thank goodness. I'd have killed myself if he started doing that crap here at school . . ."

Waldo turned away from Kokoro, beginning to type on his keyboard. "Oh well, it was worth a shot."

"It was," Kokoro admitted, sounding somewhat lifeless. Waldo could tell that she was also disappointed that her mother had not reacted upon seeing herself in the video log. Anything, even a seemingly random emotion, would have been better than nothing. "If that's all, then-"

"Wait, no, I wanted to ask you something else," Waldo said quickly. He hastily brought up the prototype programs of the three vehicles he had haphazardly put together over the past week. The one furthest to left was a sleek black motorcycle. It had one dark blue wheel, and bright blue lightning marks on its sides. The middle vehicle as a skateboard, primarily white, with green edges and the mark of Diitto etched in green on the top. The third vehicle had the strangest shape. It resembled a platform with handlebars, and was dark green in color. The platform sported the mark of Diitto in silver.

"Oh, you finished the vehicles?" Kokoro asked, leaning forward to get a better view of the tiny rotating figures.

"Not quite. But I'm almost done with them. Matthias claimed the motorcycle, Franz the skateboard, and I'd be most comfortable with the wing. I'm going to make modifications to the underside so that I'll still be able to read pulsations while on Diitto so long as I fly low enough to the ground."

"I see," Kokoro said stiffly. "And-"

"What do you want me to make you?" Waldo asked quickly, cutting Kokoro off before she verbalized the realization that she didn't have a vehicle while Franz, Matthias, and Waldo did.

Kokoro perked up, standing tall again and as she brought one hand up to her chin. She rubbed it thoughtfully as she gazed mindlessly out Waldo's window. "Do I have to get a paint job over one of those, or can I ask for something new?" she asked.

"What do you have in mind?" Waldo asked. "Something new might take longer to make, but after spending all week on these things I think I'd be able to do it."

"Then make me a glider," said Kokoro.

"Like, a hang glider?" Waldo asked, reaching for a piece of paper and a pencil so that he could draw a rough sketch of the first thing that came to his mind. A large triangle with its bottom longer than it's other two sides made up the frame. He sketched the harness, then turned back to Kokoro, who was smiling faintly at the paper.

"Red, please," she said, using a verb she rarely tacked onto the end of her phrases. "And will you make Katja one, too?"

"Yeah, sure. Should I make hers yellow?" Waldo asked.

"No. She doesn't need any more sunny happy yellow. Just don't make it purple or anything that doesn't look good with her Diitto costume," Kokoro said, wearing a slightly cruel smile.

"Err, okay," Waldo said, once again adopting the wariness he usually wore when around Kokoro. "I'll do that."

"Good. I'll be eagerly awaiting your results," Kokoro said, heading for the open door. "See you later, Waldo."

"Bye," Waldo said, turning back to his computer screen and closing the vehicle programs. As expected, his cell phone began to vibrate; Waldo fished it from his pocket, answering it as he stood and began to shuffle around his room in search of his backpack.

"Waldo, I want to leave for the factory now," Franz said, voice unusually stiff. His tone bewildered Waldo. Franz had been in a good mood earlier in the day. He'd even taken the initiative to throw a peanut at Chorter during lunch (and amusingly Chorter had blamed Chad instead, who had been unlucky enough to be walking past him at the time). In fact, Franz had been especially hyperactive during mealtimes all week long. His bright behavior had begun during dinner the day that everyone had moved back into Kadic Academy. It had been after Valentina had dragged a less-than-enthusiastic Matthias to the group's usual table, claiming that if they could eat together at home peaceably then they were on good enough terms to eat together at school.

"Okay, I'm coming. Where should I meet you?"

"By the manhole. Be quick."

Waldo glanced at the screen of his phone and saw that his brother had ended the call. Distorting his face in bewilderment, Waldo stuffed it back into his pocket and then began to pack his laptop. Once he, Franz, Nancy, and Matthias got to the factory they would send Franz and Matthias to Lyoko's core in search of the return to the past. Franz had made quick work of teaching Waldo to use the Lyoko-DL, and he'd had almost every afternoon that week and the end of break to teach Nancy how to maintain a stable connection. (Especially since Aelita had essentially confined the three of them to the Hermitage after their disappearing act the previous Wednesday. She had been _very_ angry with them for going to the factory to test the Lyoko-DL during the last Xana attack. Being grounded (and not having to deal with any more Xana attacks) had given the three kids lots of computer time. Waldo had accomplished a lot in the form of his vehicles while Franz had coded himself a simple arrow-reloading program.)

Locking his room, Waldo stole down the hallway in the direction of the stairs. He passed Ivan's open door on the way, and stopped briefly to say hello. Ivan, seated at his desk, turned to meet his gaze with his usual blank expression, and returned the greeting. Waldo then continued on his way. Ivan had been acting somewhat strangely since his return from Russia. Before he had left, Ivan had been greeting Waldo in a friendly manner just as often as Waldo greeted him. Now Waldo was the only one to say hello, and when in the presence of his family Ivan wouldn't even make eye contact with him. Waldo considered the foreign student's actions very odd, but he didn't have much free time to muse over them.

Once outside, Waldo scanned the area to make sure there were no hawk-eyed teachers present before heading to the manhole. Franz and Matthias were already there, facing opposite directions. Matthias was gazing off into space while Franz was playing with his phone. Waldo listened to the tension in their steps as they turned to him. He supposed it was nice that they had gotten along for almost two weeks before remembering that they hated one another . . .

"Nancy's almost here," Franz said.

"Cool," Waldo replied. He couldn't stop a tiny smile from crossing his face. He was so close to getting the source code of the original return to the past from Lyoko. With it, he would be able to fix Diitto's return to the past. Since Xana's slow start – the effect of him activating Diitto towers remotely – was bound to wear off any time now as he overcame the security code that gave him that slow start, a working return to the past would be an irreplaceable asset during his attacks.

Before they knew it, they _would_ beat Xana, rescue their parents, and life _would_ return to normal. Waldo was sure of it.

**

* * *

Author's Note:** I hope you liked it! Unfortunately I probably won't have the next section up until Friday after I'm done with my school week . . . don't hate me too much . . .

Oh, and the video log was recorded after Aelita was materialized in the beginning of season two but before episode 30 when the group learns that the return to the pasts do strengthen Xana. (Poor Odd. His theory wasn't completely ridiculous!)


	38. Part 7, Section 2: Matthias

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Seven: **

**The Return to the Past

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** It took so long to find the time to write this . . . I am really, really, really, really sorry for the delay and will do my best to have the next section up within a reasonable amount of time . . .

**

* * *

Matthias (Section 7.2)**

"No."

Matthias curled his lips into an amused smile, crossing his arms over his chest. He was standing below a tree near the two dormitories, glancing into the branches. Valentina had climbed to a spot roughly seven feet off the ground to do her reading assignment. She had used the branches of the decorative tree to brace herself securely, indifferent to the fact that Chorter, the grounds keeper, would scream at her if he found her in the tree.

"Come on, Valentina," Matthias said, doing his best to withhold the silly grin he could feel growing larger upon his face. (Not that Valentina would see him smiling at her since she was determinedly ignoring him or that Matthias cared if she saw him smile at her anymore.) "You know you want to learn how."

"No, I am fairly sure I do not want to learn how to skateboard."

"But it would be fun. Skateboarding is such a rush – you go so fast, and-"

"Non, no, nyet," Valentina said, saying the same word first in French, then English, then Russian before switching back to her accented French. "Really, I have no interest in learning how to skateboard."

"But-"

"Matthias, allow me to let you in on a little secret of mine," Valentina said, voice changing from stiff and stubborn to soft and sweet. Leaning back so that her torso dangled from the tree level with Matthias's head, long, wavy blonde hair swaying gently in the light wind, Valentina beckoned Matthias to her side with one hand, using the other to keep herself from falling. Still smiling, though not nearly as much since Valentina was now looking at him, Matthias moved to her side and allowed Valentina to whisper into his ear.

"I am afraid of skateboards, and most other things that involve me not using my own two feet to move around. I have learned to cope with that scooter, especially in emergencies, but I still am not comfortable with it. Please do not make me get on a skateboard."

Before swinging back into the tree, Valentina lightly tapped Matthias's cheek twice. At her touch, he felt a strange tingling sensation within him. The smile returned.

"Okay then – no skateboarding," he said.

"Yay for me. Now, do not you have to meet Franz soon? Are not you two going to Lyoko to obtain the return to the past?"

"Yeah . . . I should probably go find him," Matthias admitted. He was hesitant to leave Valentina, partly because he was not sure how safe it was for her in the tree and partly because he wanted to continue talking to her. But, he had agreed to meet Franz and go to Lyoko with him that afternoon before dinner. Franz and Waldo had rationalized that because Franz had a weapon he should be the one to go to the core of Lyoko, and the entire Diitto gang had decided that Matthias should go with him because he, as a short-range attacker, complemented Franz's ability to hit opponents from afar. If, on the odd chance that the two of them ran into trouble, they would be prepared for it. "Bye, Valentina."

"Good luck," Valentina called after Matthias as he started to head in the direction of his dormitory. As he approached the Elizabeth building, he watched Franz emerge through the front doors. The blond was wearing his white light jacket and jeans along with his backpack. His disheveled hair, even longer than Matthias's own, seemed to highlight the fact that he was glaring. Bewildered, Matthias stopped and watched as Franz walked past him, heading in the direction of the forest.

"You coming or not?" Franz called back after a moment, not turning to face Matthias as he addressed him. His tone was harsh, and Matthias tensed defensively. Why was Franz pissed at him now? Over the past week, they had gotten along better than they ever had before – in class and in the cafeteria they tended to pretend the other didn't exist as opposed to antagonizing one another like in the past, and in the evening when they were both in their room they managed curt conversations mostly relating to virtual worlds. Matthias had put in special effort to get along with his roommate, seeing as if he didn't sit with Franz and his friends at mealtimes, in the library, et cetera, he had nobody else to sit with unless Valentina came to see him. So much for putting effort into anything . . .

Slowly, Matthias began to follow Franz. The pair of them slipped unnoticed into the woods and moved to stand in the clearing where the manhole was hidden. Matthias watched as Franz took his phone out of his pocket and began to text someone.

"Really, dude. What you're doing isn't cool."

"And what, exactly, am I doing?" Matthias asked, his tone matching Franz's in stiffness.

"You know what."

"If you say so."

Matthias turned away from Franz, annoyed by his superior attitude. It really wasn't worth the time to be decent toward him and his friends. He, Kokoro, and Katja were all the same. Waldo was slightly better, but he was one of the weirdest, smartest kids in the school, so Matthias still didn't trust him too much.

A few moments later, Waldo walked into the clearing. The small boy's green eyes darted between Franz and Matthias before locking onto his older brother as he spoke.

"Nancy's almost here." Matthias guessed that had been who Franz was texting earlier.

"Cool," Waldo muttered in response. Matthias looked away from him, once again letting his gaze drift through the tops of the trees around him. There was really only one thing he could imagine Franz being mad at him for, and if that was the case there was absolutely no chance that he would simply back off.

Silence filled the clearing until Nancy arrived, throwing a nervous glance over her shoulder. "Sorry I'm late – I had to go and see Delmas for a minute."

Matthias's eyes widened, and he turned to face his red-haired sister. "What did you do?" he asked her, wondering what the timid little girl could have done to get in trouble. The only thing he could think of was related to a virtual world or two . . .

"I am, apparently, not in enough extracurricular activities," Nancy said, heading to the manhole and reaching down to struggle the heavy plate to the side. Matthias bent down to help his sister, easily revealing the entrance into the sewers. "He wants me to join another after school club."

"You're in the pencak silat club – or you're supposed to be," Matthias said, muttering the second half of his phrase. Nancy had signed up to be in the club, which Kokoro led almost every Wednesday afternoon after school under the guidance of Coach Zachary. Matthias had been making a point to attend, and since learning that he could shoot lightning he was even more determined to learn martial arts than he had been before. (Before, Matthias had mainly wanted to be able to hold his own against Franz if the opportunity ever arose.) However, Nancy had only come to two meetings thus far, usually forgoing them to work on something related to computers and Diitto by herself or with Franz.

"Yeah, I told Delmas that. But since it doesn't meet too often Delmas thinks that I should find another club to join as well. He has given me a week to find something."

"We'll figure out how to deflect Delmas's wrath later," Franz said hastily, moving before Nancy and Matthias to climb into the sewers. Matthias noticed Nancy flinch at his words, unusually curt to be directed at her. He felt a flash of anger toward his roommate – it was one thing to be pissed at him, but that did _not_ give Franz a reason to snap at his little sister.

Matthias waited until Nancy and Waldo had climbed into the sewers before following, pausing at the top of the ladder to reach back up and drag the manhole cover back into place so that nobody would notice it had been moved. He then headed for his skateboard, shooting down the sewer after the others. They all arrived at the factory and silently made their way to the old scanner room. There, Waldo and Franz proceeded to plug their respective laptops into two of the three scanners.

"Who's sending whom?" Waldo asked his brother, glancing at Nancy briefly as he spoke.

"You send me," Franz told his brother. "Nancy can monitor Matthias. She knows how to bring someone in – if anything she can't cope with happens she can just bring him in."

Matthias watched as Nancy twitched in response to Franz's words. Another flash of anger surged within him – Franz really did need someone to show him that he wasn't the center of the universe.

"I'd rather be sent by my sister anyway," Matthias said, moving to stand in the scanner she was standing by as she waited for Franz to finish starting up the program on his laptop. Nancy's eyes softened slightly, and her pale lips broke into a slight smile.

"Then everything works out perfectly," Franz grumbled, moving to stand in the scanner connected to Waldo's laptop. "Okay, guys, send us to the core."

"Okay," Waldo and Nancy replied in unison. Matthias watched as the scanner doors enclosed him within the narrow tube, and closed his eyes to wait for the transfer. The strange sensation of virtualization engulfed him.

When Matthias opened his eyes again, he was reforming in the air above the ground. White walls, the top of a dome, surrounded him. Falling through the air, Matthias caught himself, and then became aware that the strange room he had landed in was spinning. He took another glance at his surroundings, watching Franz out of the corner of his eye as the other boy landed and straightened up. He wore a costume identical to his Diitto costume on Lyoko (a quick glance had assured Matthias that his Lyoko costume was also identical to his Diitto one) though the color-changing edges had blackened in the core.

Franz stole a quick glance at Matthias then fixed his gaze on the spinning walls. "We arrived safely. We'll be entering the core as soon as the door opens."

"Be careful." Waldo's voice rang through Matthias's ears. "Mom told us to expect the unexpected here. The core was originally Xana's home, and Lyoko has been online for a while now. There's a chance that Xana has taken over – it wouldn't be outside his power to create monsters here via the programs that once allowed him to dwell here."

"Yeah, I know," Franz muttered.

"We'll be careful," Matthias added, earning a cold stare from the other boy as the room the two of them were in finally slowed to a stop. A doorway began to carve itself out of the wall, and Matthias and Franz began to run. Matthias didn't know what to expect, but he tensed, ready to summon his sword at a second's notice, as he passed Franz to lead the way through the tunnel.

The two boys soon came to a large room constructed of blue-gray core blocks. The blocks were constantly shifting, moving up and down, traveling at various speeds. Matthias hesitated before advancing, wondering how they were supposed to cross the room as he scanned the area in search of the path they were supposed to take.

"Really, Matthias," Franz began, his voice barely above a whisper. There was a chance that Matthias could only hear the other boy because of his enhanced hearing. He began to wonder why Franz was whispering; knowing that only dialogue shouted or spoken would transmit back to the computers monitoring their transfer.

Matthias turned to look at Franz, eyes narrowed defensively at the shorter boy. Franz's gaze was equally stiff, his green eyes seeking out Matthias's own dark pupils and locking onto them. "Lay off Valentina. I . . ." Unable to keep eye contact, Franz's gaze drifted to the platform beneath them – a zone free from speeding blocks that might slam into a person and de-virtualize them. "I like her," he finished, practically choking out the phrase.

A strange feeling surged within Matthias. Not unlike hatred, it tightened his insides, quickened his heartbeat, and triggered an alertness typically summoned for self-defense. But there was something more, a fluttering feeling within Matthias's insides dominated, nearly drowning out the other symptoms for a moment before sliding to the back of his mind.

"I don't see how that gives you the right to tell me to back off," Matthias hissed softly in response, not feeling that Nancy and Waldo needed to hear his words.

Franz shot Matthias a bitter look and then, suddenly, looked away from the other boy. Something else had drawn his gaze – a strange creature, similar to the supercreeper that Matthias had seen on Diitto though of a much more reasonable size and with arms-like things aiding in its slithering movement, was riding one of the moving blocks in their direction. Franz prepped his bow, going through the motions of his attack, and then shot at it before leaping out of the way of the monster's laser. A second laser struck Matthias in the back, and he twisted around to see two more creepers coming at him from behind.

"Mom was right – there are things here!" Franz shouted, beginning to jump from block to block to both avoid being slammed into neighboring blocks and avoid the lasers aimed at him by the three monsters. He shot at the creeper for a second time, hitting it so that it was destroyed instantly. Matthias shifted his gaze to his own attackers. He took advantage of his speed to land beside one, then used electrify to strike it on the mark of Lyoko so that it was also destroyed.

"Matthias, behind you!"

Twisting around, Matthias counted three more creepers in addition to the one that was just a few jumps away from him. But the creepers didn't cause him to raise his eyebrows in alarm – the monster floating behind him sent the shiver down his spine. It resembled a gigantic jellyfish, for lack of a better description. Matthias didn't have time to come up with a better description – he focused on dodging lasers by leaping from one moving block to another. Landing beside the third creeper to arrive, Matthias summoned his sword and slashed at the creeper, severing its head from its body and destroying it. He then turned to see that the jellyfish was drawing nearer – the creepers guarding it had turned on Franz, who was firing arrow after arrow in their direction. Two were destroyed, and then Matthias heard Franz shout at Waldo for more arrows to shoot.

So, Franz was out of ammo, and the creepy jellyfish thing was reaching out for him. Matthias gripped the handle of his sword with both hands, leaping at the creature. But, as soon as he was within striking distance, he felt himself go limp. His sword fell through the air, de-virtualizing as a block smashed it, and Matthias's gaze blurred as the jellyfish wrapped its tentacles around him.

Though, just as quickly as the creature had managed to get a hold of Matthias, it released him, making an odd shrieking sound as it retreated back the way it had come. Matthias fell through the air and landed on a moving block, quickly jumping to a different one when he realized that his present ride was headed for the ceiling. _What had just happened? What was that jellyfish thing? Why had it released him so quickly, and what would it have done to him otherwise?_

Then, Matthias became aware of the fact that he was glowing. A pale white light engulfed him, fading slowly until his skin was its usual peachy tone. He jumped to a different block then looked around in search of Franz. The other boy had made it safely to the other side of the room, having destroyed the last of the creepers. Matthias leapt from block to block until he was able to join him.

"Franz, you have forty life points left," Waldo pointed out. "Are the monsters gone now? We don't hear fighting anymore."

"For now," Franz replied bluntly.

"Matthias, you have sixty life points left," Nancy called.

"See if you can find your way out into the celestial dome – you might have to go through several more rooms before you find an exit," Waldo said.

"Okay," Franz said as Matthias couldn't help muttering, "I have twenty more life points than you _and_ I had to escape a jellyfish."

Again, Franz met Matthias with a cold stare, his eyes positively frozen with ice. "Dude, you don't understand-"

"Oh, I think I do," Matthias said, not caring whether or not Nancy and Waldo heard his words as he raised his voice. "You don't understand. I like her, too, so I don't see why I should just lay off. It's not my fault if she likes me better than you-"

"She doesn't like you – she feels bad for you!" Franz snapped, eyes livid with anger. "You're pathetic and have no friends, so she's humoring you! Can't you see that?"

"I'm going to kill you!" Matthias hissed, lunging at Franz. He grabbed the other boy by the shoulders and rammed him into the ground. Franz said "Timewarp" and then managed to break free, relying on his program to see what Matthias intended to do to him a moment before he could act. He used his advantage to elbow Matthias in the chest and then kicked him across the platform so that he hit the wall of the room.

"_Franz-_"

"_Matthias-_"

"_What are you two doing?_" Waldo asked. Both he and Nancy began to scream at Matthias and Franz, though Matthias was oblivious to their words. He stood again, ruing the fact that he had lost his sword, and then used the program electrify to bring a ball of thunder to his hand. Then, he lunged at Franz.

"_Stop fighting!_"

Matthias aimed at Franz but missed; Franz kicked him again, sending him to the edge of the platform. Leaning precariously over the edge, Matthias managed to regain his balance before turning back to the other boy. He prepared to lunge, though as he moved forward he watched two lasers strike Franz. The blond began to fade into a thousand white panels, and, suddenly free of the rage that had consumed him a moment ago, Matthias turned to see that three more creepers had arrived. They had taken advantage of Franz's distraction to strike.

"Damn," Matthias muttered, centering himself in the platform and waiting for the creepers to shoot him down. He didn't deserve a painless return home from Nancy. The mission had failed – he had been supposed to protect Franz on their way to the interface in the celestial dome, and instead he had been the cause of his de-virtualization.

Matthias was struck once, twice, three times – and then he melted into a thousand white panels.


	39. Part 7, Section 3: Kokoro

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Seven: **

**The Return to the Past

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** Kokoro is one of the most annoying names for me to type. I type fairly fast, so I've spelled it Kokro, Kooro, and Kokoo - and those are just the ones I stopped to record up here after realizing that I kept messing up Kokoro's name up here.

Also as an aside, _nyet_, or нет in Cyrillic, is definitely Russian. ;) I'm a foreign language major – take my word for it. The German word for 'no' is _nein_.

Also, thanks to my wonderful readers yet again for reading and reviewing when they can. Especially since you now have to deal with such irregular long-intervaled updates . . . I hate school for preventing me from writing . . .

**

* * *

Kokoro (Section 7.3)**

Kokoro slipped into the empty classroom after spending a solid minute peering in the door window, assuring herself that nobody else was present before making her entrance. The empty Italian classroom belonged to the teacher that oversaw the school newspaper. A stack of organizational trays in the back of her classroom contained everything essential to printing each issue. Moving swiftly, Kokoro headed to the trays, deposited her article in the one marked 'To Print' and picked up something from the 'To Be Edited' pile before turning around. She took a step toward the door, flinching as the echo of footsteps in the outside hallway told her that she was not the only one in the area.

To Kokoro's great annoyance, two kids entered the classroom before she could leave. Joshua Gardener, the self-appointed head of the group of students that worked to have the _Kadic News_ printed, was flanked by Bridget Rosette, a girl whom Kokoro would have bet money that, if someone sawed off her skull, they would find nothing in her head.

"Hey, Kokoro, I've been looking for you," Joshua said.

"I know. Hence why you haven't been able to find me," Kokoro said quickly, speaking before Joshua could continue. She tried to move around him and Bridget, but the pair of seventh-graders moved to block her path.

"Kokoro, it would be really good for the newspaper if you let me interview your friend from America," Joshua added hastily, reaching up to readjust his glasses. "Such an insight into the life of a fellow student would-"

"Valentina would prefer not to be interviewed for the paper, hence why we haven't already run an article on her," Kokoro said stiffly. "Now, if you'll excuse me-"

"But, can't you talk to her? See if you can change her mind?" Joshua begged, moving again to keep Kokoro from the door of the classroom.

"Joshua, I swear that if you don't let me go to lunch I'll crack your skull-"

"Okay, okay," the brown-haired boy said, briskly moving out of Kokoro's way. She slid past him and into the hallway, moving swiftly in the direction of the stairwell. Behind her, Joshua and Bridget moved out in the hallway to watch her go. As expected, Joshua couldn't help calling after her, "Please, Kokoro, at least try!"

"I try to keep from throwing you out the window on a daily basis," Kokoro muttered under her breath, disappearing into the stairwell on her way to the cafeteria.

When she got there, Kokoro moved through the lunch line, obtained a tray of food and a glass of water, and then crossed the large room to sit at her usual table with her sister, Franz, Waldo, Nancy, an assortment of sixth-graders that varied day-by-day, Valentina and Matthias, the latter two of whom had begun sitting at the table since the start of the week. It was now Friday.

As Kokoro took her seat, she immediately noticed that something was amiss: Katja was moping, as shown by how she was reading instead of talking to Franz; Franz and Matthias weren't talking either, and both, who were sitting diagonal from one another, weren't even acknowledging the other. Waldo, Nancy and Valentina, the only others at the table that day, were talking a bit – Valentina had finished correcting Waldo's Russian homework and was going over his errors with him. As Kokoro took the empty seat beside her sister, she noted that the seating arrangement of the table was slightly altered that day. Katja, Franz, and Waldo sat on one side of the table while Matthias, Nancy, and Valentina sat on the other.

Stealing a second glance at each of her tablemates in turn, Kokoro rolled her eyes and then began to pick at her meal with her fork. If Kokoro had to guess what was amiss – and she was fairly sure about the accuracy of her guess – she would say that the sixth-graders had purposefully blocked Valentina off in the corner of the table, probably with her consent, to assure that she didn't have to sit beside either Franz or Matthias. Because thinking about why Valentina felt the need to isolate herself from her classmates would take more effort than Kokoro was willing to give at the moment, she didn't bother, instead silently accepting the rearranged seating of the table as she began to eat.

"I take that we still don't have the original," Kokoro said, referring to the return to the past from Lyoko.

"No, they failed to obtain it," Nancy said, answering after a brief pause when it became clear that nobody else intended to speak. This agitated Kokoro somewhat: Franz and Matthias had failed to obtain the source code (falling out in the process) so they _still_ didn't have the Lyoko return to the past.

"Are you busy after school today?" Kokoro asked, leaning forward to address Franz. "Or is take two already in the works?"

"Do you want to try again with me after soccer practice?" Franz asked. "It'll probably be around eight, after we grab some food at dinner."

"It's not as if my dad won't let me go," Kokoro mused. Before Diitto, Ulrich would have thrown a fit if Kokoro tried to leave the house after dark. Now, all she had to do was say that she was going to go somewhere for something related to a virtual world and he waved her off without a second glance.

The remainder of lunch was spent in relative silence. Nancy and Waldo decided to talk about the class trip they were supposed to have that afternoon, speaking for the sake of speaking (which Kokoro usually disapproved of, though in present situation she agreed that someone needed to break the ice that had frozen her friends and Matthias). When everyone had finished eating and begun to scatter to prepare for afternoon classes, Kokoro made a point to catch up to Nancy, tapping her on the shoulder to grab her attention.

"What the hell is wrong with everyone?" she asked the younger girl.

Nancy seemed slightly intimidated by Kokoro's sudden appearance, though she answered willingly enough, bluntly stating the problem. "The reason that Matthias and Franz didn't make it into the celestial dome yesterday is because they fought over Valentina."

As Nancy turned away to head back to her next class, Kokoro did a facepalm. Both Franz and Matthias liked Valentina, which explained why she was distancing herself from them, why they were mad at each other, and why Katja was depressed. Great. Just great. Once again Franz and Matthias had proved to Kokoro that boys were idiots . . .

After school, Kokoro tried to talk to her sister, wanting to point out to her that boys were idiots and that she shouldn't worry or pout or bury herself in her textbooks, though Katja ditched her by speeding away on her bicycle before Kokoro got the chance. When Kokoro got home, she tried again, but Katja had locked her door and refused to open it when Kokoro knocked.

"This is just great . . ." Kokoro mumbled under her breath, heading to her own room to do her homework before dinner. That evening it was her turn to do the cooking, so she headed downstairs early and heated up soup to go with the garlic bread her father had brought a day earlier. She finished setting the dinner table right as Ulrich returned home from work.

"Your sister isn't downstairs yet?" Ulrich asked, glancing up the stairs as he fumbled with his tie.

"No, she's studying for something or another. We might have a test next week." Though Kokoro wished Katja would crack the metaphorical shell she had covered herself in that day, she was more than happy to provide an excuse for why she was acting as she was so that their father wouldn't have to worry about her and so that Katja wouldn't have to deal with his worrying.

"You know, Kokoro, it wouldn't hurt if you put slightly more effort into your own studies," Mr. Stern said, meeting his daughter's blank gaze with his own.

"No, I doubt I'd receive any physical injury either," Kokoro mused, deciding it was time to turn away from her father to ensure that he did not press the issue. "Oh, and after I eat I'm going to meet Franz, Waldo, and Nancy at the factory to try and get the return to the past from Lyoko with them. Franz and Matthias didn't succeed last night."

From behind her, Kokoro heard her father sigh. He didn't like the idea of her going to Lyoko's core, but he wouldn't do anything to stop her. The little risks and sacrifices they all made on a daily basis were for the greater good – there was no way in hell that Kokoro would ever activate the program _dragon's dance_ if there wasn't a greater good involved; the following headache wasn't worth a joy ride as a dragon.

Kokoro left her house twenty minutes before she was supposed to meet the others in the factory and arrived before them. She paced back and forth in the shadows of the factory's gallery until she heard voices. One by one, Franz, Waldo, and Nancy climbed down the ladder into the gallery and then joined her by the elevator, which Kokoro pressed the button to call.

"So, Franz, what are we up against?" Kokoro asked as the elevator lurched, beginning its descent down to the scanner room.

"Creepers. The room we entered was made up of moving blocks that went up, down, left, and right – but according to my mom the core changes shape constantly so we will undoubtedly encounter something different this time," Franz replied. Though he looked alert - his eyes were wide, he was awake - something about him still seemed lifeless at the same time. A tingling feeling of agitation tickled Kokoro's chest. No doubt the jerk was moping because Valentina had avoided him all day. He was probably completely oblivious to Katja's suffering, the fact that he was the cause of it.

When the kids reached the scanner room, Franz and Waldo plugged in their respective laptops. Franz then moved to stand in Waldo's scanner as Nancy sat down by his abandoned computer, so Kokoro moved to stand in the second connected scanner.

"Ready?" Nancy asked her, glancing up to meet Kokoro's gaze.

"Yup," Kokoro said, closing her eyes. She heard the scanner's doors close, heard it hum to life around her. The virtualization process began, and when it was over Kokoro opened her eyes to find herself in an off-white dome. She dropped through the air and caught herself before crashing on her behind. Kokoro gave herself a quick look-over to confirm that her Lyoko attire was the same as her Diitto attire – seeing as both were derived from her subconscious, they would be identical.

"When the room stops spinning, we run," Franz said simply, eyes fixed on the rotating walls around them.

"Hmm," Kokoro snorted in response, casting a sidelong glance at her old friend. The room showed no sign of slowing to a stop, so she decided to add "By the way, you're an idiot if you can't even see what's in front of your own eyes."

Seemingly alarmed, Franz turned to face Kokoro, his expression radiating bewilderment mixed with disbelief. While Kokoro frequently insulted him, her insults were typically amicable; among her friends, Kokoro's teases were almost like terms of endearment. Franz had figured this out long ago and knew not to let anything Kokoro said to him rub him the wrong way, and yet he had quickly singled out the unusual stiffness in Kokoro's tone, instantly knowing that her most recent phrase was not in any way endearing.

"What?" he said, seemingly lacking a better response.

Kokoro turned away from Franz; the room had begun to slow. She didn't intend on spelling the obvious out for Franz – it would be better for him in the long run if he worked things out on his own _if_ he was able to do so.

"Really, Kokoro-"

"Let's focus now, Franz," Kokoro said stiffly, watching as the wall stopped moving and began to reveal a passageway as chunks of the off-white blocks began to rearrange themselves. She began to run down the passageway, watching as the blocks continued to part themselves before her. Franz ran a few paces behind her, and the pair of them stopped when the path stopped abruptly.

Before Kokoro was a circular room. The floor was spinning slowly in a counterclockwise motion, and warped downward to the center. Spinning around the room were a dozen or more large white orbs. At the speed they were going, Kokoro was sure that if one of them hit her she would be instantly and painfully de-virtualized. But, the spinning balls weren't the only problem – sitting in niches in the walls were creatures of a silvery color, somewhat snake-like, that propped themselves up on arm-like things.

"More creepers," Franz muttered, watching the strange creatures.

Kokoro's eyes scanned the room once more, locking on the exit on the opposite side of the room. To get there, they had to run across the floor, dodging the spinning balls, and avoid being de-virtualized by the creepers as well. That didn't seem easy.

"If worst comes to worst, I'll just dragon's dance our way across," Kokoro grumbled, ruing the headache that would follow her use of the kamikaze program. She'd ruin her weekend, but if that was the only way Franz could get to the celestial dome and retrieve Lyoko's return to the past, then she would do it.

"No, there's got to be a way across without you doing that to yourself," Franz said. Kokoro wanted to hit him – he was against her using dragon's dance because of what it did to her, and yet he was completely oblivious to the fact that he was taking Katja for granted and her blatantly obvious feelings for him?

"No, I think I'll activate the program. That'll get you to the other side, and depending on how large the path is I should be able to follow you-" Kokoro said, beginning to rip the red bracelets off of her arms and toss them to the ground.

"Wait, Kokoro, stop!" Franz said, reaching out and pulling Kokoro's right arm from her left so she couldn't remove any more red bracelets. "I'll try shooting the creepers I can see from here, and then we should be able to go."

Without waiting for some sort of reaction, Franz prepped his bow and raised it. He aimed at the three creepers within view in turn and shot them down. Then, he turned back to Kokoro. "Now, let's try to get across. I'll use timewarp to keep from getting hit, so just focus on saving yourself."

"Fine," Kokoro grumbled, taking a step forward as Franz said "Timewarp."

Instantly, the boy whirled around and raised his bow, aiming down the tunnel that the two students had taken to reach the circular room from the place where they had been virtualized. Kokoro turned just in time to watch Franz's arrow, which he tipped with flame using the program "Fire," fly through the air. However his target, a ripple of black smoke on the ground, was not hit. It traveled through the ground until it was only a few feet away from Kokoro and Franz, when it seemed to rise up from the ground and solidify. The black smoke's new shape was human-like, though not one piece of skin was visible. It wore a full, black body suit with a black face cover. On its arms were black spikes, similar to Odd's though curled, hook-like. Around the new monster's waist was a band with more than a dozen tiny star-shaped items fixed to it. As the creature reached for the first star, Kokoro grabbed Franz and then leapt backward into the room.

"It's going to attack us!" she shouted, shoving Franz in the direction of the exit on the opposite side of the oddly shaped room. "Go, I'll hold it off!"

"Kokoro, what's happening?" Nancy asked, seemingly alarmed by her panicked words.

"There's humanoid monster attacking us!" Kokoro yelled.

"Oh – Franz's visuals haven't been working in the core too well. We only get a new still image every once and a while so we didn't get to-"

"Shh, let them concentrate!" Waldo hissed.

"Oh, oops . . ."

As Nancy and Waldo spoke, Kokoro nimbly dodged the first throwing star, then ripped a red bracelet off of her arm and tossed it as the creature threw a second star at her. As the creature dodged her flaming bracelet, Kokoro spun around, opened her fan, and then threw it in the direction of the creature a moment before leaping into the air to avoid one of the balls that was constantly rolling around the room.

There wasn't time to check where Franz was – Kokoro launched herself into the air to catch her fan, which had failed to strike the humanoid monster, as it returned to her. She then launched it again, flipping through the air after it. The humanoid jumped away from the fan for a second time, landing on the floor of the room, and Kokoro bounced off the ground before bowling the monster to the ground, fist aflame with the four remaining bracelets from her wrists. She struck the monster in its chest; it let out an angered cry, de-virtualizing beneath her hand.

"And that's why you don't mess with me," Kokoro said smugly, quickly sticking her fan back into her obi and leaping out of the way of a spinning ball. She crossed the room, dodging lasers from the two creepers that remained in the walls. Then, she landed on the platform that supported the exit, where Franz was waiting for her, shooting down the final creepers. When he was done, he asked Waldo to send his arrow-reloading program before turning to Kokoro.

"What was that thing that you fought?" he asked.

Kokoro shrugged, drawing her gaze to her nails and flicking a bit of imaginary dust from them so she didn't have to make eye contact with Franz. She was mad at him still, and while the action had temporarily distracted her from that feeling, it had now returned full-force.

In truth, though, Kokoro had no idea what she had fought. At times, it was almost as if she was fighting another human; the way the creature had moved and reacted to her own actions had hinted the intelligence of something greater than a simple Xana monster. And when Kokoro stopped to think about it, she couldn't recall seeing the mark of Lyoko on the creature – though she hadn't exactly looked too carefully . . .

Ten new arrows materialized into the quiver on Franz's back a few heartbeats later. Franz glanced skyward, thanked his brother curtly, and then turned back to Kokoro. "Let's go," he said, turning to the passage behind him. Kokoro did the same, and the two of them began to run through the narrow opening into the unknown. Kokoro heard, though she didn't look back to check, the wall slowly beginning to close behind them – preventing their retreat.

Then, Kokoro drew to a sudden stop as something appeared in the pathway before them, forming from a pillar of white and black smoke. A second humanoid monster, this one wore drastically different attire. It wore sandy brown pants, somewhat loose, and a white shirt-like chest plate. It's – or _his_, since the creature was clearly masculine – pale shoulders were bare, as were the upper part of his arms, though from the elbow down he wore sand-colored braces that covered everything on his lower arms to his hands. No weapon was visible on the creature, but a mask identical to what the ninja-like monster had worn covered his face.

Kokoro's mind whirled. She and Franz needed to pass the creature, which was calmly blocking her path. He hadn't yet attacked, though Kokoro was sure that would change if she advanced. Without a second glance, she bolted forward. Without anymore red bracelets, Kokoro lacked a weapon to fight close-combat with her new opponent, though she didn't aim to de-virtualize the creature just yet. Now, her object was to remove his mask, to see his face, and to distract him long enough for Franz to pass.

The creature hesitated as Kokoro approached, which was why she succeeded. Ripping the mask off the creature's face, she tossed it down the passageway and shouted for Franz to keep going without her. He didn't need to be asked twice, beginning to dart down the path, conscious of the fact that it was slowly closing behind him and that his current position would disappear soon.

"_What the hell?_"

In addition to Waldo's strange curse, two more things happened in quick procession. The creature raised his hand and pointed his palm at Franz; he became immobilized with a startled cry. Then, the walls began to close at an increased rate, the sound of one side meeting another echoing throughout the passageway. Panicked, Kokoro turned to Franz, lost for what to do. He seemed just as bewildered. Moments before the wall closed around her, Kokoro glanced back at the strange creature, standing beside her with his arm still held in Franz's direction. She watched him become squished into a thousand tiny panels at the same time as her.


	40. Part 7, Section 4: Valentina

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Seven: **

**The Return to the Past

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**Author's Note:** If anything revealed in this section shocks or alarms you, then _please_ drop a review. I would really appreciate any feedback. I feel that I worked hard to build some surprises into this chapter and want to know if I succeeded. Was anything too easy to predict or did everything come as a complete shock? I won't say anything else up here – hope you enjoy!

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Valentina (Section 7.4)**

"_Mama, I want to come home. Please . . . I promise I'll be good if you let me. France is . . . strange . . ."_

"_Valentina, you've only been gone a few days. We sent you to boarding school for a reason. But we'll talk again at the end of the semester. If you still want to come home, then we will talk . . ._"

The days blurred into weeks; this became routine. With midterms approaching the week before everyone was due to leave Kadic Academy for winter vacation, Valentina found it quite convenient to use the excuse "I need to study, sorry" whenever Franz or Matthias asked her to do something with either of them. The initial awkwardness she had felt around them both after Nancy and Waldo had told her that they had fought over her in the core of Lyoko had faded – so long as Valentina was around either one of them in a group, she was fine. Thankfully, both Matthias and Franz seemed to realize that she was attempting to distance herself from both of them and soon ceased trying to invite her to do things alone with them.

But as Franz and Matthias began to distance themselves from her, albeit reluctantly, Valentina couldn't help feeling somewhat saddened. She had come to France against her will, determined not to attach herself to anything or anyone so that her parents would have to take her home again at the end of the semester as agreed upon initially. Unfortunately, her resolve had faded over the past few months, and Valentina no longer knew what she wanted.

However, Valentina knew one thing – she wanted to know why Xana had not attacked for more than a month now. It was mid-November; the trees had long ago colored and lost their leaves. The air had cooled so that it was foolish to go outside without a jacket, and once the Kadic students had woken to a light dusting of snow on the ground that, unfortunately, failed to cancel classes.

None of the other Diitto warriors had any idea why Xana had become inactive. Even Aelita was baffled, though she constantly repeated that the quieter Xana was, the more work she could accomplish. The same went for Waldo and Franz. Waldo had to finish his vehicles while Franz had been frantically trying to make adjustments to the Lyoko-DL, which had broken after its third use. Valentina had gone to the factory one evening with Waldo, Nancy, and Franz, determined to go to Lyoko with the latter to help him obtain the return to the past, only to find that the quick simulation Franz had run to test the program had showed a new glitch. As Nancy, Franz, and Waldo had all grumbled about the glitch, wondering what could have managed to affect the program on both laptops, Valentina had merely watched. She had then gotten into an argument with Waldo about how the Russian government was _not_ against their going to Lyoko, though she hadn't figured out why Waldo had been bold enough to make such an accusation. Franz and Nancy had been equally baffled as Waldo stormed out of the factory without them after that argument.

It was raining when Valentina left for the cafeteria one Sunday morning. She made it to the cafeteria, shook some of the water that had accumulated on her coat onto the rain mat, and then went through the brunch line before heading to her usual table. To her astonishment, Waldo was the only one there so far. Taking what had become her usual seat across from the sixth-grader, Valentina proceeded to ask how he had slept and what he had done that morning in Russian.

"I finished the vehicles," Waldo replied, also in Russian, with a grin. He switched to French to add "We should sneak out and try them later today." Waldo's expression then stiffened as his gaze shifted across the room. Valentina trailed it to watch as the eight Russian exchange students crossed the cafeteria to take their seats for brunch. Since Kokoro's and Franz's trip to the core of Lyoko, Waldo had gotten the idea that two of the Hapaskys were the strange creatures that had appeared in the core. He claimed that, from one of the buggy, still images sent back through Franz's visual, he had clearly seen Ivan's face. Nancy hadn't seen the image, and neither Franz nor Kokoro believed that the second creature they had fought resembled Ivan, though they then admitted that neither of them had studied its face too intently. However, Waldo was still adamant that the Hapaskys had somehow made it to Lyoko, and clung to his belief despite how nobody else shared it.

Valentina made a quick whistling sound, and Waldo snapped out of his daze, blinking rapidly and then turning back to his waffles. A moment later, Franz and Matthias arrived. Thankfully, they sat beside one another next to Waldo, possibly because they knew Valentina no longer liked to sit next to them during meals, and possibly because they knew Nancy would force whichever one of them sat next to her aside so that she could sit next to Valentina herself. Since Matthias and Franz had fought over her, Nancy had been a lifesaver. She had gone out of her comfort zone on numerous occasions to aid Valentina, and for that Valentina was still clueless on how to repay the timid little redheaded girl.

"I think I've fixed the Lyoko-DL," Franz said, yawning. "This time I've included a patch that will prevent it from rebugging as I connect it for a trial run, like what happened the last time I thought I had fixed the program."

"Really, you're done?" Waldo asked, turning to his brother. "That's awesome! I finished all five vehicles this morning, too."

"Is my motorcycle the coolest of them all?" Matthias asked, speaking through a piece of bacon.

"Uh . . . I don't know. But I want you all to go to Diitto to try them out later. Do you think we'll be able to get away later?" Waldo asked, turning to his brother as he posed his question.

"Of course. We haven't been to Diitto in ages – since Xana isn't doing anything, we should virtualize ourselves to have fun for once," Franz said, his tone revealing his excitement.

"Was not that what Diitto was made for?" Valentina asked. "Going there just to ride your vehicles seems like a great idea."

"Is this coming from the girl who didn't want a vehicle?" Franz asked, raising an eyebrow at Valentina and twisting part of his mouth into a slight smile. Franz still didn't seem sure if he was allowed to smile at Valentina yet.

"Hey, so what if she didn't want a vehicle. There's nothing wrong with that," Matthias said bluntly, eying his plate as he spoke.

"Who said there was?" Franz said, turning to glare at Matthias. To Valentina's relief, Nancy arrived on that note. Chakori was with her, instantly ending any talk of virtual words.

Later, when Franz, Valentina, Matthias and Waldo cornered Nancy alone to see if she wanted to go with them to test vehicles, the girl brought up a valid point. "I don't think you should all go and test your vehicles. Diitto can only handle nine transfers every twenty-four hours and it is unsafe to be sent to Diitto more than once within that same time period. What if Xana attacks tonight or tomorrow morning?"

Franz then turned to Waldo. "So, how about we don't tell the unlucky day students about the test-run?" he suggested, his mouth twisted into a cruel smile. "And you and I can do rock-paper-scissors to see who has to stay behind – that way if Xana attacks someone other than Mom can have the task of deactivating the tower."

"Fine," Waldo said, holding out his fist. Franz mirrored him. In unison, the boys said, "Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" and revealed their choices. Franz had picked rock, Waldo scissors. To celebrate his victory, Franz reached out and messed with his brother's short blond hair as Waldo mumbled something about needing to oversee the test-runs from a monitor anyway.

"In that case, do you want to test the Sterns' gliders?" Waldo asked, turning to Valentina. She shook her head furiously back and forth, appalled by the idea.

"Nope. I will be perfectly happy watching through Franz's visual. I elect to keep you and Nancy company."

"Oh, in that case it'll just be Franz and Matthias. Since this is just a test run to make sure the vehicles work, I suppose that will be okay," Waldo said. Valentina could tell that he was hinting the fact that the last time Franz and Matthias had been virtualized together they had fought. Over her. In a few more weeks, Valentina might have the option to return to America. If she did that then, theoretically, Franz and Matthias would stop competing with one another for her attention. When they weren't doing that, they did actually get along quite well, surprisingly enough.

"Should we meet at the manhole in an hour, then?" Matthias asked.

"Yeah, you all come in an hour. I'll head on over to the bunker and input the vehicle programs into the supercomputer so that they'll be ready to run when you arrive," Waldo said.

"Sounds good."

"Cool."

The group scattered. Valentina returned to her room to do a few math problems – homework that was, thankfully, the same in any language - before donning her raincoat again and heading out to the manhole. Nancy was already there; Franz and Matthias had not yet arrived.

"Oh, Nancy, I have been meaning to ask you," Valentina began, seeking to fill the silence that came with waiting for her classmates. "How do you like dancing?"

Nancy made a strange face and then shrugged. "It's fun because Chakori is also in the club. But I wouldn't have done it otherwise and if Delmas wasn't forcing me to."

"Ah."

Valentina would have continued talking, curious as to what the dance club or whatever it was that Nancy had joined recently did, but Franz and Matthias arrived and eliminated any future conversation by opening the manhole cover and waving the girls into the sewers. Once down the ladder, Valentina hesitantly stepped onto her scooter and rode to the bunker. Nancy, arriving first, entered the access code and held the door for everyone else as they entered. Depositing their wheels beside Waldo's skateboard on the top level of the bunker, the group took the elevator down to the second floor and met with Waldo in the computer room. He was spinning around in his seat, looking bored.

"I really only needed forty-five minutes to upload all five vehicles into the system," he remarked. His gaze then shifted to Valentina. "Last chance to decide whether or not you want to go with them. Because of the random placement glitch, I won't be able to send you to them later."

"I will _stay_," Valentina said, stressing her final word for emphasis. The only way she would ever consider mounting a vehicle on Diitto was during a Xana attack, and even then she wasn't sure she would. She liked using her own two feet to move around – or four paws in Diitto's case.

"Okay," Waldo said somewhat meekly, turning to have his computer monitor once again. Though Valentina could tell that the somewhat apprehensive boy had become more comfortable around her in the recent weeks, he still tended to recoil whenever she or someone else (such as Kokoro) said something in a stiff tone. Nancy, too, had become more comfortable around Valentina, though she no longer seemed offended by Valentina's somewhat sarcastic words and occasional cheek.

As Franz and Matthias headed for the scanner room, Waldo prepared the virtualization program. "Transfer Franz, transfer Matthias. Scanner Franz, scanner Matthias. Virtualization!" he said, moving through each step in turn.

Valentina stood over Waldo's shoulder beside Nancy and watched as Franz sent a visual back from the Alpine region. Both boys had requested a trip there because neither had visited that particular sector before. Valentina hadn't either, though she didn't feel the need to go to Diitto just to take in the scenery and was perfectly happy watching from the bunker.

"Vehicles?" Matthias asked earnestly, glancing skyward. Valentina saw the action through Franz's POV.

"Coming right up," Waldo said, beginning to type on his keyboard. "I'll send your own first."

"Cool," Franz said, and he whipped his head around to watch as a black-and-blue motorcycle and a hovering white-and-green skateboard appeared. Excitedly, Franz darted over to his skateboard and stood on it. He promptly fell off again, and Valentina couldn't help laughing along with the others.

"Try, you know, _balancing_," Matthias sneered at Franz, moving into Franz's POV so that those back into the bunker could see him. He was comfortably sitting on his one-wheeled motorcycle, able to control it since it had not yet left the ground.

"Try flying with that, _then_ make fun of me if you can do it perfectly on the first try," Franz snapped back, climbing on his skateboard again. This time, it wobbled as it moved forward a meter or so, but Franz managed to stay aboard. He slowly edged it faster, and then began speeding away from his virtualization point, even growing cocky enough to move further from the ground and fly dangerously near the obstacles in his path. When Franz finally drew to a stop, Valentina caught a glance of Matthias speeding along the path after him. He also slowed to stay in the same area as Franz.

"I think these two work, Waldo," Franz said, jumping off of his skateboard.

"Good, I'm glad you like the aeroboard and the aerobike," Waldo said. "I'll send my vehicle, the aerowing, now."

The aerowing appeared within Franz's view, and he moved to stand on it. Lapping the area, the older Belpois showed that the aerowing was easy to control and maneuver.

"You can't test whether or not it correctly reads pulsations from the air; I'll just have to do that later . . ." Waldo grumbled as Franz climbed off the vehicle. He began to type again. "Okay, here are Katja's and Kokoro's vehicles. I'm especially proud of them, and tried to work in something unique to Diitto . . ."

"Huh? Those two get better vehicles?" Matthias asked, looking annoyed.

"Not better – they just make full use of Diitto's elements factor. Lyoko didn't have an elements factor – that's something my dad added. For instance, though you two can't feel it unless it is agitated, there is a digital wind everywhere on Diitto. Kokoro and Katja are both under the element of wind on Diitto, so in addition to simply flying their gliders they will be able to use the wind to generate a second element."

"Dude, _I _lost you," Franz said bluntly. Through his POV, Valentina could see a bewildered expression on Matthias's face. She was equally confused as her classmates.

"You two will be able to fly the gliders I'm sending, but you won't be able to activate their special abilities because you aren't under the element of wind," Waldo said hastily. "Just nod and go along with the test runs, okay? Everything will become clear later. Now, meet the iceglide and the fireglide."

Through Franz's POV, Valentina watched two vehicles identical in structure appear: they were hang-gliders in every right, with large frames and harnesses hanging down so that their riders could hold onto something. The harnesses, both black, were the only parts of the gliders to resemble one another – the fireglide had a fiery red cover over a black frame while the iceglide had a bright turquoise cover over a striped black-and-yellow frame. Valentina privately admitted that both of the vehicles that Waldo had worked so hard to code himself were impressive, yet she still had no urge to test them out.

"I'd have to put down my bow to fly one of these," Franz commented, a hint of disappointment in his voice. He hesitantly set his weapon onto the ground beside the aerowing and the aeroboard on his way to the closest of the two gliders. He reached down to lift the iceglide a bit so that he could properly position himself in the box-shaped harness, exclaiming, "Oh, it's really light" in the process. After he had gripped both sides of the harness, Franz turned to face Matthias, looking somewhat bewildered as he stood in the harness of the fireglide.

"Take off, you dorks," Waldo said, snorting with amusement as Franz and Matthias continued to remain still.

Franz didn't need to be asked twice. He began to run, and then launched himself into the air. The iceglide caught digital wind, and began to soar upward and over the alphine region. Franz screamed with enjoyment, glancing down at his feet, braced against the bottom of the box-like harness, and then at his hands, gripping the sides of the harness up beside his head. He then gasped with alarm as the harness began to move him into a horizontal position as opposed to a vertical one. Back in the bunker, Waldo burst out laughing.

"Yeah, it does that. The gliders wouldn't fly half as well if you continued to distort the aerodynamics," he said, biting back an obnoxious smile.

"Thanks for the warning, bro. Very amusing."

Valentina, Nancy, and Waldo settled to watch Franz continue to fly through the air. He tried to keep above Matthias so that they could see him, too, but failed most of the time. Unable to keep herself from smiling at the sight, Valentina turned to Waldo.

"You did a really good job with these. I am sure that they will be irreplaceable during the next Xana attack," she said.

"Thanks," Waldo said. His tone was limp, and Valentina noticed his eyes cloud as if in thought. "It's not the next Xana attack I'm worried about at this point, though. I'm worried that the Russians will attack the next time Franz goes to Lyoko's core and keep him from getting the return to the past yet again."

Franz's voice emerged from the computer. "Waldo, Xana's new monsters are not the Hapaskys. Didn't we establish this already? He's just probably decided to make them all humanoid because we're so vastly superior to all of his other monsters."

"But if the Hapaskys were somehow connected to Xana, it would make a lot of sense," Waldo defended. "They don't communicate with anyone aside from one another at Kadic, they don't act normal-"

"You can say that again," Valentina grumbled, shuddering at the thought of her awful French-as-a-second-language class. It was taught in Russian and French; she and the eight Russian exchange students were the only students.

"You're just mad that your friend stopped saying hi to you," Franz responded, referring to the seventh-grade Hapasky, Ivan.

"Franz, did you not see that monster's face? I am _positive_ that Ivan was on Lyoko the last time you were. I don't know how he was, but the image that came back on your glitchy visual didn't lie."

"Glitchy visual, bro."

"Glitchy as in it wasn't working fluidly – not that it wasn't working at all or that it was making up images," Waldo snapped. He stood and walked across the room to the second computer monitor. Looking confused, Nancy trailed him with her eyes and then hesitantly took over watching Franz and Matthias by taking his abandoned seat. Valentina, meanwhile, followed Waldo to watch what he was doing now.

"I'll give you one thing," she began, leaning up against Waldo's new chair. "The Hapaskys are creepy, and I've always thought they were somewhat robotic."

"Thank you, Valentina," Waldo said bluntly. As Franz began to argue with Waldo, the boy quickly made it so that the Diitto people were no longer tied to the speakers and told Nancy to put on her headset to stay in contact with them. Valentina then watched as he clicked onto the Internet and linked onto a search engine. Turning to Valentina, he spoke. "If the Hapaskys really are normal people, then I should be able to find something on them," he rationalized. "Otherwise . . ."

As he trailed, Waldo typed in the surname 'Hapasky.' Nothing useful came up. He tried the name in combination with Ivan, Maria, Svetlana, Uliya, Nadya, Alexander, Nikolai, and Vladimir with equally unsuccessful results.

"They are Russian," Valentina pointed out. "Perhaps there is something on them out there in Russian. Here, let me look. Can you have this type in Russian phonetic for me?"

Waldo made the necessary adjustments to the keyboard and them stood so that Valentina could sit to type. She clicked onto the search box, then slowly began to type out the Russian equivalent of the name 'Hapasky.'

Хапа-

"Stop!" Waldo said quickly, preventing Valentina from typing the last part of the name. He stood still for a moment, mirroring Valentina's own awestruck disbelief as he stared at the screen before firmly telling Nancy to bring Matthias and Franz in so that they could see the screen.

In Russian, 'Hapasky' was 'Хапаский.' Valentina didn't need any more proof – somehow or another, Xana had obtained people to do his bidding. Those people were the Hapaskys.


	41. Part 7, Section 5: Katja

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Seven: **

**The Return to the Past

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** I apologize again for the delay in posting this and its relatively short length compared to my usual length. I didn't have any free time over the past two weeks, and this section might be a tad rushed in reflection of that. I apologize severely for this. However, I am now on my spring break, so I have free time during which I can write, so the next sections will be good. That, and what happens in Part 8 is just epic in itself, so keep an eye out for the first section!

**

* * *

Katja (Section 7.5)**

Aelita had agreed with Waldo when presented with all of the evidence on Monday afternoon: The Hapaskys were somehow connected to Xana. However, before the startled eyes of the younger Diitto warriors, she made the connection between the abandoned scientific base that, years ago, Yumi and Odd had visited via Jeremie's teleportation process and what they had found there. While in Siberia, Yumi and Odd had found a tank of what they believed to be developing human brains. Aelita recalled that, on that same trip, Yumi and Odd had failed to manually sabotage the supercomputer located at the base. If that supercomputer had been the one that Xana had kept offline to escape Jeremie's multi-agent program so many years ago, then it was very plausible that he had taken his brain development to the next level over the past few decades to produce eight very real children over a period of five years. Those children were the Hapaskys.

"Is it safe to go to school with them?" Nancy had asked.

"Well, you've got lightning to protect you. If they ever attack then I'm sure you'll be able to defend yourself in a real emergency," Matthias replied brusquely. "Hey, do the Hapaskys have lightning?" he then added, eyes wide with the thought.

"Assume that they do," Ulrich told the children. "And please – be careful! These kids keep to themselves and have never bothered you before now. If that changes suddenly, watch out for them. They could very well be spying on you without your knowledge."

"Are they within earshot of your table in the cafeteria?" Aelita asked quickly. "If they are, then that could be why you were sabotaged on Lyoko."

"Possibly," Katja replied, counting three tables down and one over to reach the table that the foreign exchange students dominated. "But we do tend to whisper anything related to virtual worlds."

"Watch them have supersonic hearing or something nuts like that," Matthias muttered.

"Supersonic hearing doesn't even make sense," Franz snorted at his roommate before adopting a serious expression. "What I want to know is how they knew to come to Kadic this year. How did they know that Dad would finish Diitto when he did? How did they know to enroll in Kadic?"

Neither Aelita nor Ulrich had an answer to Franz's questions. It was agreed that everyone would be wary of the Hapaskys from that point forward, and that under no circumstances were they to reveal that they had discovered their secret to them. On that note, everyone left the lounge in the bunker, the place they had all met to discuss the Hapaskys, had departed.

"I would never have guessed that the Russians were created by Xana," Kokoro mumbled to her sister before bed that evening. The two girls were standing in Katja's room.

"Now that all the facts are laid out neatly, it seems very obvious," Katja said. "But I want to know how they are getting to Lyoko and if they have the potential to go to Diitto as well."

"Ditto," Kokoro said, unable to keep herself from grinning at the joke. "Seriously though – I wouldn't be surprised if we kept running into problems in the core of Lyoko _because_ they know that we are trying for the return for the past."

"Me neither," Katja admitted.

"In that case, do you know what we have to do to ensure everything goes smoothly?" Kokoro asked, crossing her arms over her chest and adopting an all-knowing smile as she leaned back against Katja's desk.

Katja met her sister's gaze, narrowing her eyes slightly in mild confusion. "What do you have in mind?" she asked.

Kokoro unfolded her arms and reached onto Katja's desk. She grabbed her sister's cell phone and then voice-dialed Franz. As Katja felt her heart quicken and lunged forward to try and seize her cell phone from Kokoro, her sister jerked away.

"Katja? Err, I was asleep . . ." Franz muttered as he answered his mobile. Katja heard his voice faintly through the phone until Kokoro cut him off.

"In order to ensure that the Hapaskys don't sabotage the next Lyoko mission, we need to get you there sometime when there's no chance of discovery. In other words, you and Katja need to get to the factory tonight."

"Huh? Wait, Kokoro-"

"From what I saw of the core of Lyoko, Katja would be better at keeping you safe. My fan and bracelets can only do so much, and she is able to attack as many times as necessary with her swords and has _blur_ at her disposal. So, you up for a Lyoko run or not?"

"Kokoro, what are you-" Katja mouthed, stunned by her sister's actions. She could not hear what Franz said in response, but a moment later Kokoro set down Katja's cell phone. She adopted another superior grin.

"You're welcome," she mused. "I just gave you an excuse to sneak out in the middle of the night to see your crush-"

"_Out!_" Katja said, infuriated with her sister. She pointed to the doorway. "Out. Now." She could feel her face burning red with embarrassment, and a mix of emotions, the most prevalent of which was a sort of shock, swirled within her.

"Just don't leave Franz hanging at the factory," Kokoro said cheekily, darting from the room.

Katja slammed the door behind her sister, then sank to the floor and brought her knees to her chest. She wanted to go with Franz to Lyoko – she wanted to get the original return to the past just as much as everyone else – but she needed much more time than she was being allowed to prepare for the experience. Kokoro had something unfortunate coming to her sometime in the future. Katja had no idea why her sister had signed her up for the graveyard shift – perhaps she really did think that her virtual world costume would allow her to best protect Franz – but she didn't have the time to ponder such thoughts. Hesitantly, she threw on her coat, ran a brush through her hair a few times, and slipped out of her room for the factory.

"It's a school night, too . . ." Katja mumbled to herself as she raced through the shadowy, dark sewers. Upon arriving at the factory, she hastily climbed down into the gallery. Moving to sit up against the elevator, Katja waited patiently until she heard voices. Franz, Nancy, and Waldo moved view, yawning and muttering lifeless greetings to Katja.

"Katja, why did Kokoro use your cell phone to call me?" Franz asked as he climbed down the ladder along with the others.

"I don't understand anything that goes on in her head," Katja said somewhat exasperatedly as she stood. _Least of all why she set Franz and me up to go to Lyoko in search of the return to the past on such short notice . . . _

"Since we are acting on impulse, I don't see how the Hapaskys will know we are going to Lyoko this time," Waldo said. Of the three boarding students, he seemed the most awake and alert. He must have felt that, this time, Franz would make it to the celestial sphere and procure the return to the past for him.

The four children rode the elevator down to the scanner room. Franz and Waldo plugged their laptops into two of the scanners and then, following Franz's example, Katja moved to stand in one of the large objects. Nancy smiled sleepily at her before the doors of the scanner closed before Katja, and she sighed and did her best to relax as she felt herself go through the virtualization process.

When her vision returned, Katja found herself in a spinning room, off-white. She landed then inspected her attire to find that she looked the same on Lyoko as she did on Diitto. Beside her, Franz was staring determinedly at the moving wall. Katja recalled that, according to Kokoro, when it slowed to a stop the path would be revealed.

"There were no errors with either virtualization process this time," came Waldo's voice from somewhere indistinguishable above Katja. "Is everything all right on your end?"

"It seems to be. Either all that work I put into safeguarding the program against attack was worth it, or there is nobody here to upload a bug into the program," Franz replied, making a reference to how the Hapaskys couldn't possibly know that they were on Lyoko at the moment.

"Make the third shot at this the final one," Nancy added encouragingly. "Good luck, guys!"

"Thanks," muttered Katja and Franz in unison.

"There are a lot of creepers here," Franz said, turning to meet Katja's gaze. "And Matthias claimed to have once seen something else, but he wasn't able to give a good description of it. Some jellyfish thing."

"Scyphozoa?" Katja said, cocking her head at Franz. As she spoke, she felt an eerie chill that began in her back and worked its way through all four of her limbs. She managed to resist the urge to twitch. "You mean, that thing that used to try and possess your mom all the time?"

"That's what I thought. But apparently when it grabbed Matthias it let him go immediately. I don't understand what was up with that . . ."

Franz trailed as the room slowed to a stop and as the wall began to reshape itself into a narrow pathway. He met Katja's gaze once more before the two of them began to run. Katja slowed her pace to match his, not wanting to leave him behind her when she ran. Soon, the hallway ended, and the two found themselves on a platform high above a square room. The floor of the room was divided into square sections, and each section was moving from the ceiling back to the ground at various speeds. Letting her eyes drift the room, Katja came to the conclusion that there were no monsters in the vicinity, but that there was also no way Franz could make it across if they just ran for it. She might have a chance with _blur_, but that was irrelevant.

"There's no way across . . ." Katja mumbled, barely loud enough for Franz to hear. At the same time, Franz held out his right arm, asking Katja to wait for a moment. Turning to face her friend, Katja watched as Franz's eyes trailed the movements of the floor tiles.

"It's a pattern!" Franz said after a moment. "I'm sure of it – the movements of the floor aren't random at all."

"Really?" Katja asked, turning back to the room before her and staring intently at the rising and falling floor tiles. As she looked for a trace of order among their movements, Franz continued.

"I think I found a safe route for us to take. We start here, go left, then up, left again, up, right, backwards, left, and straight. That would land us on the platform across the room."

Katja turned back to meet Franz's gaze, silently in awe with how quickly he had identified the pattern of the moving floor tiles and analyzed it to reveal the safest path across the room. His slightly smug smile told her that he, too, was pleased with himself, and that he seemed amused by her current facial expression.

"I'll move when you do," Katja said, doing her best to fight back her own budding smile.

Franz turned back to the room, eying the moving floor panels once more. Then, suddenly, he moved, and Katja hurried to mimic him. Before she knew what had happened, she found her across the room. By following Franz's path, they had made it across without being squished into the ceiling.

"To the celestial sphere!" Franz said, beginning to run down the narrow pathway after having paused to take one final look at the moving room. Katja trailed him. The two of them moved down the narrow pathway until it ended, revealing the celestial dome. However, Katja didn't have time to look around – before her eyes, two figures were materializing in the air.

"Franz, get to the interface. I'll defend you!" Katja said, drawing her swords as Franz hurried to pass the two materializing figures. As they fell to the ground before her, Katja instantly recognized them as the Hapaskys who had attacked Franz in the core previously. The taller, dressed as a ninja, was Vladimir, while the younger, Ivan, was dressed in the ancient style of a middle-eastern warrior. Without warning, Katja struck. Vladimir was de-virtualized instantly, not able to survive a direct strike to the heart, leaving Katja and Ivan facing one another.

Katja spared a quick glance in Franz's direction, seeing that the boy was busily tapping upon a computer interface at the end of the pathway. She turned back to Ivan, who hadn't yet moved to attack her. The second he moved, she would attack him. He didn't look as if he was wearing any armor, and he was close enough to strike with a single action.

"I've found it – Waldo, I'm uploading the return to the past now!" Franz cried excitedly.

Ivan seemed to snap out of his trance, turning to face Franz. But, before he could do anything, Katja lunged forward, hissed "Excavate" and drove her curved swords into Ivan's backside. He was de-virtualized instantly.

Once all of Ivan's panels had faded, Katja turned to meet Franz's gaze. His expression was bright with triumph, and if possible he grew even happier as Waldo spoke. "I have it! Hold tight, we'll bring you in!"

"We were successful!" Franz said. His eyes were positively sparkling to a point where Katja was nervous to meet them anymore. She returned her swords to the tips of her wings, then looked up again with a squeak. Franz had moved to her side. He proceeded to hug her. "We got the return to the past!"

"I didn't really do anything . . ." Katja muttered softly to herself, turning away from Franz.

As something grabbed her hand, Katja had to turn back to him. "Yes, you did," Franz countered, sounding stern while keeping his happy mood. "You effortlessly de-virtualized the Hapaskys."

Before Katja could respond, she watched as Franz began to break into a thousand tiny white panels. Her vision faded, and when it returned she stumbled dizzily out of the scanner into the dimly lit factory room.

"Damn! No! Aack! No!"

As the spinning that occasionally accompanied Katja's return from a virtual world began to subside, she fixed her gaze on Waldo as he repeatedly pounded the floor with his fist, cursing violently at the computer in front of him. Beside him, Nancy looked bewildered. Franz, holding his head to combat his own dizziness, took a seat on the ground beside his brother.

"Dude, you're scaring me. Why aren't we all celebrating right now?"

"Because this return to the past is bugged up, too!" Waldo groaned, hitting the ground with his fist one final time before turning to meet his brother's gaze. "Gah – I could have guessed this. This return to the past is bugged up, too, because Dad messed with it to get everyone out of that one Xana attack so many years ago."

"So, what does this mean?" Nancy asked, struggling the words out nervously.

"It means that I'm no closer to fixing the return to the past now as I was last night," Waldo said simply, leaning over and hitting his head against the ground.


	42. Disaster

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Eight: **

**Disaster

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** You guys all probably hate me . . . I am never able to make my personal deadlines anymore. However, if you are reading this, then do know that Part 8 is complete. The events of the separate sections all happen simultaneously from different viewpoints so it was necessary to write them all at once to make sure they were consistent. I will update this story every three days for the rest of Part 8. (Hopefully by then I'll have some of Part 9 done as well!)

Anyway, as previously mentioned (I personally think) this Part is epic. I hope you enjoy it! However, _please be sure to read the Author's Note on the bottom of the section after reading the story_.

**

* * *

Kokoro (Section 8.1)**

A thin mist covered Kadic Academy and the outlying areas Tuesday morning. Kokoro felt the dreary weather appropriate – her mood, just like the moods of the other Diitto warriors, was dismal. Last night, Katja had walked into her room in the dead of night to announce that she and Franz had procured Lyoko's return to the past without difficulty. For three glorious seconds, Kokoro had felt positively euphoric. Then her sister had added that Lyoko's return to the past was also glitchy and thus useless, turning stiffly and heading back to her own room. After exhausting her vocabulary of curses in the three languages she was fluent or proficient in and Spanish, she had taken two full hours to fall asleep again.

By lunchtime, Kokoro was ready for a nap. She hadn't done well in Spanish (neither had Franz for that matter, who had actually fallen asleep in class) and had received her English essay back in English only to find that the grade scribbled atop it was less than stellar. Kokoro had never liked the days when she had a solid block of language classes . . .

_If the food doesn't wake me up, I'll at least be able to nap in the library later,_ Kokoro thought quietly as she moved through the lunch line. There was taco salad for lunch. For the first time in her life, Kokoro elected to have the sauce poured atop her taco salad. Her reasoning was that the spiciness would wake her up.

"I'd say good day, but that would be a lie," Kokoro mumbled as she took a seat at her usual table. Already seated, Katja, Nancy, and Waldo looked exhausted. Matthias was wide-awake, having managed to sleep undisturbed the previous night, though he was clearly distracted. Kokoro trailed his gaze across the cafeteria, where it was firmly fixed on the four male Hapaskys, seated without their female sisters and cousins. They were talking quietly among themselves . . .

"That's different," Kokoro added, a nervous feeling twisting her insides. The Hapaskys were usually eerily silent – that they were talking couldn't be a good sign. And that the girls were gone was also creepy. In an attempt to make the unwanted churning of her stomach disappear, Kokoro forked a large amount of sauce-covered meat into her mouth. She then proceeded to choke, struggling down the painfully hot food. After chugging half of her milk, Kokoro realized that the noise level in the room had dropped. She felt her face grow hot with embarrassment as a low hum of snickering engulfed the room for a moment, and clinched her palm into a fist as she did her best to ignore the laughs.

"That was interesting," Matthias said softly a moment later, after Chakori, seated beside Nancy, asked if Kokoro was okay, to which she nodded awkwardly.

Kokoro then shot Matthias a murderous glare, and took advantage of the fact that she was seated next to him to stomp on his foot. As he bit back a curse, he hissed out an explanation. "Not your choking, Stern. Their reaction was interesting. They stopped talking to watch you, but after you had stopped then they resumed their argument."

"They're arguing?" Katja asked. She was seated with her back to the Hapaskys. It would be suspicious if she turned around to look at them. Nancy glanced quickly in Matthias's direction, alerting Kokoro to the fact that she was paying attention to what the older kids were saying despite dutifully performing the duty of keeping Chakori oblivious. The poor girl was under the impression that they were all addicted to a computer game. She had once tried to convince Waldo, who seemed more addicted than the rest of them, to quit playing, saying that it was possible to be perfectly happy without electronics. (Chakori, thankfully, was the type to have no interest in computer games, otherwise Kokoro was sure that it would have been much more difficult to keep her in the dark about Diitto.)

"Yeah. Well, I think so," Matthias said softly. His voice was kept low to both keep Chakori from looking at him and to prevent the Hapaskys from hearing. There was always the chance that they had heightened senses if Xana had truly made them. "Vladimir is obviously in charge. For a little while he seemed to be yelling at Ivan a bit."

"Ivan is different than the others," Waldo muttered, interrupting Matthias. He was seated on the other side of the eighth-grade boy across from Nancy, and his gaze was fixed on his food, though Kokoro didn't think he was looking at it or eating much. "Don't ask me why – I don't know. He just is. It's why he used to say hello to me and show an interest in being my friend. It might also be why he always seemed hesitant to act while on Lyoko."

"That was strange," Katja added. "I'm sure he could have done something to try and stop me or Franz yesterday, but he went practically limp."

"Shh!" Matthias said quickly, eyes once again fixed on the Hapaskys. "Look at that!" he added, jerking Kokoro's shoulder to get her attention as he hissed that Katja shouldn't turn around to look. Kokoro's eyes burned as she struggled to swallow her new mouthful taco salad without choking and then shifted her gaze across the room. Vladimir was now talking on a mobile phone. His words, barely more than whispers as they reached Kokoro's table, were Russian.

"Where's Valentina when you need her?" Kokoro grumbled, turning around and seeking out her (and Franz's, for he was not yet seated) position in the lunch line.

"What are they saying, Weirdo?" Matthias asked, turning to Waldo.

"Do you really think I can actually understand Russian yet?"

"Da."

"You seem fluent. Why are you bothering me . . . ?" Waldo grumbled, looking away from Matthias to fix his dull gaze on his tray. Kokoro noticed Matthias stiffen a bit, then he, too began to pick at his taco salad. Had she been in a better mood, Kokoro would have taken advantage of (or at least gotten a hint of amusement from) the fact that Matthias seemed genuinely hurt by Waldo's response. He still wouldn't address Waldo, Katja, or her by their actual names (unless differentiating between her or her twin) but he was getting to a point where he would wonder where someone was if they were late to lunch and take an interest in whatever someone was fixing upon.

_Damn, when did we become friends with Matthias?_ Kokoro grumbled to herself, not at all pleased with the fact. _Diitto has blinded and corrupted us . . ._

A moment later, Valentina and Franz arrived. Valentina sat across from Chakori beside Waldo, still unable to sit beside Franz or Matthias at mealtimes (both boys became disgustingly different people when trying to show off for the American) while Franz took the empty seat beside Kokoro. Both muttered greetings appropriate of the dreary weather.

"Valentina," Matthias said quickly. "See if you can listen to what the Hapaskys are saying!"

Valentina's gaze darted across the cafeteria. "They aren't here," she said, her tone solemn.

"What?" Matthias said, snapping his gaze back to the table where the male Hapaskys had been moments before. Everyone at the table, including Nancy and Katja, did the same. Chakori lamented that it was a shame that everyone had gotten the Russians involved in that silly game they all liked and pulled out a book to read.

"Where did they go? Did anyone see them leave?" Katja asked, turning back to face the others.

Kokoro, along with everyone else, shook their heads to answer negatively. "Something's not right here," Matthias added, his eyes narrowed. "They don't get to act suspicious, ditch their cousins, and then ditch us. I say we go and look-"

Matthias was cut off as the ground began to shake. The sound of something large crashing reached everyone's ears; people screamed in fright. Then, the world became eerily quiet. Kokoro's eyes darted between the faces of those she was sitting with. Bewilderment mirrored across each of them.

"What was-?"

"The phone tower fell over!" came one student's voice. A boy had just run into the cafeteria, eyes popping with fear. "It landed on the Elizabeth building, and the entire building is sparking now!"

Matthias, Valentina and Franz exchanged worried looks; all three stood. Valentina then whispered "Xana?"

"I don't know. I don't have my computer on me, but since Mom hasn't sent me a text message I wouldn't think that Xana is responsible. That tower is just old as heck . . ." Franz muttered in response. "I never thought it would topple over, though . . ."

As his brother trailed Waldo cursed "Crap, the phone tower!" and began to rummage in his pocket.

"Try 'crap, our rooms!'" Matthias scoffed, beginning to head away from the table. Franz and Valentina were right behind him.

"No – wait!" Waldo said, looking at his mobile. "Our phones are dead, and mine claims that it hasn't had signal for a while now! Xana _is_ responsible! Kadic's phone tower isn't a real phone tower – it just strengthens the signals from other towers so that we have signals all over campus! If our phones are out of range, it's because the other phone towers in the area have been destroyed as well!"

"Even more reason to go and rescue my computer," Franz said quickly, raising his voice to combat the panic that now plagued the cafeteria. The lunch ladies were doing their best to calm everyone down, but their best wasn't doing much.

But, before Franz and the others could take another step, the sound of a train crashing through the cafeteria rang through Kokoro's ears. The room began to shake violently, and many of the students began to scream. Kokoro's mind whirled. She had experienced such a situation once before when visiting her grandparents in Japan . . .

"It's an earthquake! Get under the tables!" she yelled at the same time as Katja. She, Katja, Nancy, Waldo, and Chakori piled under their lunch table as Matthias, Franz, and Valentina climbed beneath the neighboring table with two more students. The shaking continued for multiple heartbeats – so many that, in her frenzied state, Kokoro lost count – until it stopped altogether. Only after she was sure that the earthquake was over did Kokoro become brave enough to open her eyes again. She could no longer see the other table. The roof had caved in.

"Fuck," was the only thing that Kokoro could manage to say, reaching out and beginning to shove the debris closest to her aside in a frantic attempt to free herself. Only part of the roof had collapsed, as Kokoro soon discovered. Her half of the room had been lucky enough to have ceiling fall on it.

Squirming out into the open, Kokoro began to assist Franz as he dug his table free of the wreckage. Slowly, Katja and the others began to squeeze their way out of the hole that Kokoro had made. The smell of smoke reached Kokoro's nostrils, piercing screams reached her ears. She pushed the scariest thoughts to enter her mind away, not yet ready to face them. A true disaster had struck, and many people had gotten hurt, or worse, because of it . . .

"We need to deactivate the tower," Kokoro said quickly. "If Xana can cause massive earthquakes now, then all of France is in danger."

"It wouldn't be safe for me to go to Diitto now. Or Katja," Franz relied as Waldo and Matthias crawled from beneath their respective tables. "Waldo or my mom would have to do it. Speaking of her, she probably knew about the Xana attack long before this happened. I'd imagine she tried to call us, but . . ."

"So, in short form, Waldo needs to get to the bunker ASAP," Matthias said quickly. "Fine. Kokoro, Valentina, Nancy, come with us. The-" Matthias caught his little sister's gaze as she emerged from beneath the table. She was adamantly shaking her head, and then motioned to Chakori, who was strangely still as she glanced around the cafeteria. In fact, the Diitto warriors were practically the only ones not in a state of shock – probably because they knew the truth behind the earthquake to strike their school.

"Nancy can stay – Waldo can virtualize us all if need be," Kokoro said quickly. "Let's go!"

"Waldo, I'm going to try and get into my room," Franz said quickly. "One of the walkie-talkies we have is there. The second should be at the bunker. That should still work, because it uses a different sort of wave than the phone towers. We can use that to communicate."

"Okay," Waldo said, beginning to follow Matthias across the cafeteria. Kokoro stole one final look at Katja, Franz, and Nancy, silently wishing them the best of luck dealing with the result of the disaster. Without a return to the past, they would be dealing with it for a very, very long time . . .

Kokoro felt herself fight back tears. There was no way in hell _she'd_ be the one to cry. (That honor usually fell to Nancy.) Despite the chaos, she would force herself to remain strong. Being indifferent was in Kokoro's nature – she would use that to her advantage to focus on the task at hand: deactivating Xana's tower.

Nobody noticed as they left the cafeteria, crawling through a gaping hole in the wall. Chaos really had engulfed Kadic's campus (and most likely the entire area affected by the earthquake) and people were running every which way, shrieking, crying. Kokoro heard the barking of dogs. She saw Chorter feverishly working to calm some hysterical students. Delmas was limping along using his cane, looking positively mortified and well past his age.

"Thank goodness – the largest buildings are okay!" Valentina exclaimed, nodding in the direction of the Elizabeth building as it came into view. The phone tower was leaning against the building, its weight causing some minor damage. However, the sparks that were flying from the tower were the real cause of alarm. It wasn't long before the electric sparks started a fire, surely. Hopefully Franz got in and out of the building quickly . . .

"Earthquakes emit several kinds of waves, short and long, and the different periods do more damage to different types of buildings," Waldo explained. "We must be in an area where the smaller buildings would crumble while the taller ones would be more or less okay . . ."

"Thankfully," Kokoro mused to herself. She and the others worked to cross the campus, harder than usual because of the wreckage and swarm of people running every which way. A group of seventh-graders ran past Kokoro. She felt something grab her hand, and then noticed that Joshua had been part of that group.

"Don't go that way! There are people setting fires with electricity!" he said, choking on his own words before running away. Kokoro exchanged a horrified look with Matthias; his expression mirrored her own.

"The Hapaskys!" the four Diitto warriors said in unison.

Matthias raised his hands, summoning a painfully bright ball of black and blue electricity between them, oblivious to the shrieks of alarm coming from those around him.

"I've been wanting another opportunity to see how I'd fair against something else with lightning," he hissed, eyes alive with energy.

Kokoro turned, then couldn't help screaming as she watched a ball of white and purple sparks fly in her direction. Dodging, she dragged Valentina out of harms way as well. Matthias saw the approaching attack, and instead of dodging he braced himself for impact, taking the hit by using his own ball of electricity as a shield. In the distance, two masked figures approached. Both female, one was dressed in Egyptian style, her face masked with a golden plate that matched the rest of her costume. She wore white clothes laced in gold, large bracelets, and a large headdress. The second Hapasky's costume reminded Kokoro of a Native American. She was barefoot, adorned in tooth jewelry and body paint, and wore pale clothing over her top and as a skirt, leaving her belly exposed. The mask of a wolf covered her face, but thanks to the wealth of curly brown hair Kokoro was able to identify her as Uliya. By process of elimination, that left the Egyptian girl as Nadya.

"We found the Hapaskys," Kokoro said, grabbing Waldo and Valentina by their hands and dragging them in the direction of the bunker. Matthias, with electrify, had the best chance of fighting his classmates. She and Valentina needed to focus on getting Waldo to the bunker.

"They look like they are wearing Diitto costumes!" Valentina remarked. "But they are on Earth! How-?"

"It's possible to teleport someone back to Earth while they are on a virtual world," Waldo said quickly, taking up the lead as the group escaped the vicinity of the school. "My Dad used to do it to the other Lyoko warriors when necessary. The female Hapaskys must have – ha – they were never really here, were they?"

"Explain," ordered Kokoro as the group continued to run.

"Well, at least half of them were never really here. Or they were, but then they went back over a break or secretly. You see, it can't be good to keep someone virtualized indefinitely – remember what happened to my mom and William – so the Hapaskys must have established some sort of rotation! The boys were back in Siberia most recently – hence why only Ivan and Vladimir ever came to attack those sent to Lyoko instead of one of the girls. To prepare for his big attack – this – Xana must have wanted to get the girls back safely, so he must have pulled them back sometime between last night and now. Remember how Vladimir was on a cell phone? That must have been the confirmation that they needed to begin the attack."

"The boys disappeared right after that," Kokoro recalled. "Could they have been teleported somewhere else since they are only here via teleportation anyway? Say, to a series of radio towers all around the area . . . ?"

"It's a possibility, but we'll likely never know for sure," Waldo said. The sound of a monstrous roar and the shaking of the ground drowned his last word out. The aftershock ended as quickly as it had come, and Kokoro, Valentina, and Waldo continued without a word in the direction of the bunker. With every passing second, Xana grew more powerful, feeding off the energy he obtained from the tower on Diitto. The tower needed to be deactivated immediately!

The silence remained until Kokoro, Waldo, and Valentina made it into the sewers via a manhole almost directly above the bunker. They had run through the communities surrounding Kadic without difficulty, averting their eyes from the wreckage that had come from the earthquake. Kokoro didn't see anything completely flattened, but almost everywhere she looked there were cracks in the ground, broken pipes leaking massive streams of water into the street, houses with holes in the walls, crying people. A couple of unlucky households had gone up in flame – the earthquake had done damage to their gas tanks, which had then caught fire since their occupants had failed to cut the gas in time . . .

"Do you think the bunker will be flooded . . . ?" Kokoro asked, wading her way through the murky water that had flooded the pathway on either side of the sewers.

"I hope not. Dad would have taken precautions against flooding – earthquakes too – hopefully . . ."

To Kokoro's great relief (finally, something positive that day) the bunker was unharmed. They rode the elevator down to the computer room. It was no surprise to see Aelita there, though Kokoro's insides tightened at the sight of the grown woman seated in the fetal position in one of the chairs, eyes glued to the newscast she had pulled up onto one of the two monitors. The earthquake had been magnitude 7.2 – stronger than anything France had expected, since it was not an area usually affected by earthquakes. Chaos had engulfed the area, and nobody could stop the leaking pipe that had exploded right outside an old quarry. The water that had been slowly seeping into the old mines had traveled deep within the earth, triggering the earthquake . . .

"Wait, so is Xana not the cause of this?" Waldo asked in alarm, running to his mother's side. She shook her head no. Kokoro could see that her face was streaked with tears.

"He is – but the attack started two days ago when the water main near that quarry exploded," Aelita stammered, choking back gigantic sobs. "I – I didn't know that Xana had even launched an attack, because the superscanner didn't pick up anything. But, after today – after the earthquake I came here and – and did another scan. The activated tower is in the core – it's the one in the core . . . I would have gone already but-"

"No, Mom, you can't go to the core. Don't even think about it," Waldo said sternly, reaching out to minimize the images of disaster flashing across his mother's screen. "You can, however, send us. We have no time to lose."

"We'll take care of everything, Aelita," Kokoro said, gaining strength when she needed it so that she could take care of her aunt (for all intensive purposes) and from watching Waldo, normally such a quiet and awkward kid, take charge of the situation so calmly. She reached out and tapped Aelita gently on the shoulder before running after Valentina and Waldo into the scanner room and stepping into the empty scanner.

Kokoro's heart began to pound with fear – real genuine fear that made breathing difficult and seemed to seep into her chest with the intention of leaving behind an icy tingle that immobilized every aspect of her soul – as the scanner doors closed around her. Then, Aelita's voice entered the scanner: she was beginning the virtualization process so that they would arrive directly in the core. Kokoro closed her eyes, knowing that her vision would vanish soon anyway, and let the process overwhelm her.

So much rode on their success. If Waldo didn't get to the tower, then Xana's attack would continue, and chaos would continue to ensnare the world. And if that happened, then Xana would have, after years, finally won.

_Xana, I won't let you win . . ._

**

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Author's Note – PLEASE READ THIS ONE: **Due to recent events in the world, I hesitated to write this Part as it is at all. For as long as I had planned the events leading up to the 'Season Finale' of my story, I envisioned the Diitto warriors having to deal with an earthquake caused by human (well, Xana) means. The earthquake in the story was caused by water going deep into the Earth. From my geology class, I know that there was once an experiment that involved injecting seawater into the Earth's crust that resulted in a series of earthquakes. I got my idea for Xana's disaster from that.

What happened back on the 11th of March is a tragedy in every way. Japan is a beautiful country, harboring a beautiful way of life. The earthquake, followed by the tsunami (Paris is too far inland for me to incorporate a tsunami into the story – and anyway killing off all my characters is not my current intention) and nuclear unrest is a disaster that will affect the entire world, not just Japan, for years to come. I really did consider trying to alter the plotline of the story a bit so that I wouldn't have to incorporate an earthquake into the story, but finally decided to follow the summary I scribbled for myself way back when. (Yes, most of this story does come from plot scribbles. They tend to live in three or four different places and occur during the middle of the night or in the middle of lecture.) By keeping the earthquake, I hope to both raise awareness to the horrible disaster and to bring a little bit of the earthquake knowledge I have from my geology class into the story. (For example, go under a table or desk during an earthquake. Also, the different earthquake waves cause damage to different types of buildings.) I know that earthquakes are seriously destructive, and they shouldn't be talked about lightly. The one and only earthquake I experienced was 4.5 or something similar. That scared the breath out of me, waking me up completely in the dead of night. I cannot even imagine what the people of Japan are going through after the magnitude 9.0 to hit them recently.

This Part is dedicated to Japan. Please pull through . . .


	43. Part 8, Section 2: Matthias

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Eight: **

**Disaster

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** Here's the second section of five for Part Eight: Disaster. I hope you enjoy it as much as I had fun writing it. (If you like reading my story, don't forget to drop a review once and a while~)

**

* * *

Matthias (Section 8.2)**

In the split-second Matthias had to decide on an action, he merely acted, fueling as much electricity as possible into the orb contained in his hands and bracing himself as the ball of white and purple electricity collided with his ball of black and blue electricity. Upon impact, Matthias flinched, grinding his teeth against the burning of his skin and the heat generated. But, just as suddenly as the attack had come, it dissolved into nothing, taking Matthias's orb of electricity with it. Opening his eyes, Matthias fixed his gaze firmly upon his attacker. A girl dressed as a royal Egyptian had her hands out before her, mask fixed firmly upon Matthias. Beside her was a girl dressed as a Native American, wolf mask locked upon the eighth-grade boy.

"Uliya and Nadya, I presume?" Matthias asked, taking a step backwards from the girls as Nadya lowered her hands and began to advance upon him in step with her cousin. "I didn't think our first real conversation would be under these circumstances. I'm Matthias, by the way. Personally I was under the impression we'd have to work on a group project for some class, and that would force the introductions – shit!"

Uliya sent a ball of lightning in Matthias's direction while he was talking. Just in time, Matthias jumped out of the way. His senses whirled – there was too much struggling for his attention all at the same time. The smoke, the smell of burning wood, flesh, the sounds of screaming, sparks flying, crying, sirens in the distance. Inside him, Matthias could feel energy surging through his veins. If there was ever a need for him to make use of the program _electrify_ then it was now. It didn't matter who saw him activate the program – since Xana's slow-start was gone and he had launched the attack of everyone's nightmare the worst had happened. Matthias had much greater things to worry about than being captured by the government on account for being some sort of crazy mutant. Saving the world was much more important.

"Task number one – get rid of the Hapaskys," Matthias whispered, jumping out of the way of a second ball of lightning. He wasn't sure how he would accomplish this task, but it seemed like a logical first course of action. If the Hapaskys had left Kadic sometime earlier, returned to wherever the hell they lived in Siberia, and then been teleported back to Kadic Academy in their virtual world attire then, theoretically, they had life points. If he hit them enough, they would be sent back to whatever virtual world they had been sent from. On the flip side, if the Hapaskys hit _him_ enough, he wouldn't simply be de-virtualized: _he'd die . . ._

The odds weren't for Matthias. Two (maybe even four if the sixth-grade Hapaskys were out there somewhere) against one. And they had heightened senses in addition to their lightning, as proved by how Uliya decided to leap atop a small shed as she passed it, aiming a ball of lightning at a power line in the distance. The power line caught fire, and there was a small explosion, more screams. Enraged, Matthias lunged toward Nadya, left exposed as her cousin disappeared from her side. One on one - he could handle that.

Arriving at Nadya's side much faster than he had expected (had – had he just moved in a blur as those controlled by Xana often did?) Matthias shouted "Electrify!" and stabbed her in the stomach with a ball of lightning. Gasping, Nadya recoiled, falling backwards onto her rear as a ball of lightning grazed Matthias's side. Uliya aimed another ball of lightning at him, hissing something vile-sounding in Russian as Matthias jumped backward through the air.

"I don't speak your language!" Matthias shouted as _I don't just have electrify at my disposal!_ flashed through his mind. _I have the whole flipping deal – jumping, movement, everything!_

Landing, Matthias began to run in the direction of the soccer field. He wanted to draw Uliya and Nadya out into the open, ideally one at a time, and for that he needed somewhere open and free of wreckage. A great, open soccer field would be free of wreckage from the earthquake. Matthias wove in and out between debris, leaping over huge cracks in the ground. Students shouted as he passed, but Matthias ignored them (and Chorter, demanding him to stop where he was) for his destination. Whirling around, Matthias summoned a ball of electricity and shot it backward – hitting Uliya. That was great – he'd hit both of them once now – but that meant both of them were still around to hit back . . .

"_Kot attackoi!_" shouted Uliya, waving her arms as two large, Egyptian-style black cats emerged from the air. The size of tigers, black as panthers, they began to approach Matthias, teeth bared.

"Shit – you all have stuff in addition to lightning, don't you . . ." Matthias said, feeling his heart beat frantically within his chest. He watched as the cats lunged at him, and then, acting upon instinct, raised his hands before him. A great electric shield rose, shocking the cats as they came into contact with it. They were de-virtualized instantly and, to Matthias's great astonishment, so was Uliya. The cats must have been formed from her remaining life points. That was great! Now he only had Nadya to-

Nadya dropped to the ground and began to chant. Matthias watched as the ground began to split before her, shaking violently, and as the crack suddenly sped in his direction. Leaping sideways, Matthias avoided falling into the great chasm that had materialized across the pristine soccer field.

"Really?" Matthias asked. "I like this field . . ."

"You will not win."

Nadya slowly stood, meeting Matthias's gaze. Matthias could imagine the hardness in her eyes behind her mask, and stiffened his own to match the icy feeling he felt within him. For a moment, neither of them moved. Matthias was determined to only act after the Russian gave away her intention. Finally, she spoke again.

"You cannot win. It is impossible," she hissed, her accent heavy. "Xana is stronger than ever. Only after he is allowed to control the world will there be eternal peace."

"Over my dead body!" Matthias said, determination snapping as he lunged at Nadya. Leaping into the air, he formed a ball of electricity. Nadya jumped, forming her own orb of lightning. The two collided. For a moment, every part of Matthias's body felt as if he was on fire. Then, a strange feeling engulfed him. It was a feeling he had only before felt on Lyoko, and then it was a rare occasion, a fleeting moment. Landing, Matthias gasped for breath, then turned around in search of his opponent. The last of her white panels faded into the air.

Slowly, Matthias stood, wobbling a bit from a sudden bout of dizziness. He looked up, and his confused mind briefly mused over how ironic it was that the ground could be in such ruins while the sky could be so calm and serene-looking. Yes, there were clouds, many clouds, as was expected from a mist-covered world. But the sky was still untouched compared to the ground, and that was what struck Matthias for the few moments he stole to regain himself.

An aftershock jerked him back into reality. Matthias became aware that the past few minutes had been just that – only a few, brief minutes. Waldo and the others would be barely halfway to the bunker by now.

The aftershock also triggered a new chorus of screams. Though his body ached, Matthias urged himself to begin to run in the direction of the noise. If nothing else, electrify would be now an irreplaceable asset in blasting rubble.

Matthias made his way into the cluster of academic buildings, surveying the damage done by the earthquakes. The arts building was the worst hit – it was crumbling, and part of it had collapsed completely. Fighting back the burst of emotion that was triggered by such a sight, Matthias forced his way into the group of students standing just outside the building. He sought out a familiar face, and approached him for what would surely be reliable information given the situation.

Stephané's eyes were unfocused, but his gaze was fixed firmly upon the arts building. Matthias grabbed his shoulder and shook it, asking "What's the crowd for? Wasn't Chorter ordering everyone to the courtyard in front of the school?"

"There were people in the building when it collapsed," Stephané said softly. That he and Matthias no longer spoke was irrelevant given the circumstances.

"Where? Are they alive still?"

"I – I don't know," Stephané stammered, turning away from Matthias, not wanting to meet his gaze. "But Marthe was one of the ones inside practicing for the music festival . . ."

Stephané's voice cracked, betraying the emotion he had been doing his best not to show in front of Matthias. Without another word, Matthias headed in the direction of the arts building, ignoring a teacher's shout. He sprung upward, using the genetic gift his father had left him to reach a hole on the second floor of the building and scrambled into the wreckage as those in the crowd below him screamed. It wasn't every day that their classmate displayed superpowers.

Covering his mouth to keep himself from choking on the smoke and dust, Matthias began to creep through the dark building. The electricity had been cut, and the only light came from holes in the building, reflecting off of broken, shiny objects or direct. Matthias coughed – his sleeve was failing him – and then narrowed his eyes in order to make the most of the pitiful light available to him. He found a stairwell and made his way up to the third floor, knowing that most of the practice rooms were there. The first room he passed, Matthias saw a pair of younger children sitting huddled under the desk at the front of the room. He approached them, and the girl shrieked before relaxing a bit.

"You guys need to get out of here. The building is unsafe!" Matthias said, shooing the children from beneath the table. "Come on, I'll go with you!"

"Marthe . . ." croaked the male student. "She's . . . over there . . ."

Heart tightening, Matthias followed the student's finger, pointed shakily in the direction of a pile of wreckage. The roof had fallen, and a few beams of light flickered in from the damaged attic roof above. By that faint light, Matthias was able to see the extent of the disaster. Across the room was a piano, somewhere. Marthe was also somewhere . . .

"I'll get Marthe," Matthias said stiffly, finding his throat dry. "Can you two get out on your own?"

"Yes," squeaked the girl, tears streaming down her face. "I . . . I think so . . ."

"If you think so, then you'll be fine," Matthias said reassuringly, reaching out to push the little kids out of the room. "Go downstairs. If the stairs to the ground level are blocked, then jump out the hole on the second floor. Someone can catch you, otherwise know that a sprained ankle or broken leg is nothing compared to having the building collapse on you! Go!"

The students disappeared down the hallway, down the stairs. Matthias hoped with every fiber of his being that they and Marthe were the only ones trapped in the building during the earthquake and then ran back across the room to poke at the pile of rubble. "Marthe?" he called, terror radiating in his voice. Was she still alive? Had she died? Matthias began to shift aside the largest pieces of rubble, ignoring the scratch he received along his hand through carelessness. "Marthe!" he called again, straining his ears for a response.

_Please respond,_ he thought to himself. _I don't want to be digging out a corpse . . ._

Another large piece of wreckage was moved, then another, and Matthias tried to move aside one large piece of wood only to realize he was tugging at part of the piano. For a moment, he stared at the wood, and then realized that, based on its location, the shape of the shadow in the smoke and dust before him, that the grand piano had lost one leg and toppled down.

"Help . . ."

"Marthe!" Matthias called, doing his best to move around the piano. Marthe sounded as if she was hiding beneath it. Finally, he found a spot, and, finding it difficult to see, made it so that his hand began to spark harmlessly. The light given off by his lightning was enough to illuminate the space beneath the piano. Marthe was collapsed on the ground, leaning against something. Matthias tasted his stomach as he realized that Marthe was covered in blood . . .

Suddenly, Marthe jerked upwards into a sitting position. She was bleeding from her head, silvery hair pressed against the side of her face from blood, but most of the blood on her arms was from the person she had been leaning against. Matthias did not have a name for the person, though he pinned her as a ninth grader who he had seen perform in music programs. She was still, and part of her body was covered completely by rubble. Marthe, meanwhile, had a leg trapped by something . . .

"Hold still," Matthias ordered, blasting her free of the rubble with electrify. Marthe stifled a shriek, though seemed to take the fact that Matthias had just shot lightning better than the others who had seen the same thing earlier. Well, she hasn't seen him leap ten feet into the air yet.

"She's . . ." Marthe began softly, looking back toward the girl.

"Shh. Don't say it," Matthias said, reaching forward and dragging Marthe out from beneath the piano. She was hesitant to leave for a moment, clearly wanting to stay by the girl, and pushed back on Matthias's tight hold. When she finally gave, Matthias heard her draw a sharp intake of breath. The leg that he had freed from beneath the rubble must have been broken. Marthe's entire jean leg was stained with blood.

"Have I died, too?" Marthe asked, squinting her eyes at Matthias as he helped her across the classroom. The flinching expression she made with every step told Matthias that it would be difficult for her to walk out of the building. He would have to carry her.

"No. I just really do have the ability to shoot lightning," Matthias grumbled, pausing to allow Marthe a moment to breath. Her breath was labored. She had inhaled too much dust and smoke.

"Heh, figures you would," Marthe said, sounding genuinely amused.

"Of course. I'm gonna carry you – just a warning," Matthias said, reaching out and picking Marthe off the ground. She winced, drawing a sharp intake of breath as Matthias positioned her in his arms, then slit her eyes to meet Matthias's gaze. Seeing that she was no longer in too much pain, Matthias began to walk.

"I always knew there was something special about you," Marthe said as Matthias carried her from the room. Matthias sighed, wondering why Marthe, who hadn't said a kind word to him in months, was so willing to praise him now. He'd saved her from being crushed by ceiling tiles – it was no big deal.

"Though, I did think you'd be able to take a joke," Marthe added, a hint of her usual, elitist tone returning to her. That was good – she obviously hadn't lost too much blood. "Either you can't, or you used it as an opportunity to switch groups. Do your new friends all have superpowers, too?"

"Some of them," Matthias said through gritted teeth. It occurred to him that, at one point, his entire month would have been made by such praise from Marthe – a cruelly beautiful and intelligent girl. Now, Matthias just wanted her to be quiet. Earlier in the day, he'd felt a hint ashamed as Waldo had snapped at him.

_Huh, those guys are my friends now_, he thought to himself. _Figures . . ._

Reaching the first floor of the building, Matthias searched for an exit, finally finding one that was accessible. He emerged on the side of the building and then carried Marthe back to where the group of people he had seen earlier was still standing. The two students Matthias had sent out of the arts building earlier had made it out safely. A nameless teacher ran up to Matthias, saying something to him. He didn't make out her words, focusing on setting Marthe down safely. Then, Matthias fixed his gaze across the campus. Huge clouds of smoke were rising from the direction of the dormitories . . .

"I gotta go!" Matthias shouted, running off at an astonishing speed. He made it to the courtyard in between the two dormitories, glancing in the distance to see the phone tower leaning up against the back of the Elizabeth building. It was smoking. Looking around, Matthias quickly caught sight of Katja and Franz, instantly appreciating his height as he pushed his way through the crowd toward them.

"Where's Nancy?" Matthias asked, remembering that his sister had been left behind. Katja and Franz had been looking in the direction of the Jean-Pierre building – was his little sister in her room getting something? Or had she stayed behind with Chakori?

"She went to get Waldo's laptop while we went to get mine and the walkie-talkie," Franz said, nodding to the bag on the ground beside him. "And she was supposed to meet us back here when she was done . . ."

"What are you doing here?" Katja asked. "Didn't you head to the bunker with the others? Why are you bleeding?"

Matthias ignored Katja's questions, deciding to answer them, in a way, with his own. For some reason, a strangely protective feeling was powering his actions. He needed to find Nancy before doing anything else – if she hadn't yet come out of the Jean-Pierre building then something was amiss . . .

"On the way to the bunker, we encountered Uliya and Nadya. I stayed behind to fight them. Somehow I came out the victor. The blood is from when I helped someone out of a building. Hey, have you seen the sixth-grade Hapaskys around . . . ?" Matthias asked. If Uliya and Nadya had been teleported to Kadic, who was to say that their little sisters hadn't been? The male and female Hapaskys seemed to work in groups . . .

Franz's eyes seemed to constrict. "No, we haven't," he said quickly, turning to Katja. "Watch the bag. If we aren't back in seven minutes – err – then chances are something really bad happened to us."

"Franz-"

"Katja, we'll go look for Nancy. Stay here – we'll be back soon," Franz said hastily, beginning to move away from the older girl. Matthias moved ahead of Franz, glancing back to see that he had paused briefly before following him. Together, they ran for the door of the building. When they couldn't open it, Matthias wasted no time in shocking the handle. That somehow allowed him and his roommate entry into the dormitory.

Sweeping the lobby with his eyes, Matthias saw no one and then headed up the stairs. They began to climb, but soon a loud roaring engulfed the campus. The world began to shake, and Matthias clung to the railing for his life, heart pounding. He was more terrified than he had ever been in his life, and parts of him hurt more than they had ever hurt before, but somehow he was able to look past all that to act. Such was the magic of working in a true crisis.

On the second floor, Matthias saw and then acted. His little sister was crumpled against the wall, which was no longer much of a wall due to the earthquakes, and the two younger Hapaskys – more decorated versions of their older sisters – were attacking her. Though Matthias's first instinct was to run to his sister's side, he knew that he needed to de-virtualize the Hapaskys before he could be sure that she was all right. Moving in a blur, Matthias targeted the Egyptian one, rolling her down the hallway. He formed a ball of lightning, and aimed for her chest, though before he could strike he felt the girl's grip on him tighten painfully. Before he knew what was happening, Matthias was being thrown through the air. He glanced at his skin and saw that the places where the girl in the Egyptian costume – Matthias didn't know her name – were burned so badly that they didn't even hurt.

"You are strong," said the girl in the Egyptian costume. Matthias's mind struggled to remember her name . . . _Maria_! She was named Maria! "But you are not strong enough."

"Your sister will be overjoyed to see you!" Matthias hissed, jumping forward. Every inch of his body became engulfed in lightning as he collided with the girl. She was de-virtualized. He felt something within him snap. It was as if every ounce of energy he had once commanded vanished at the same time. The feeling of adrenaline that came with commanding lightning slipped away. Matthias gasped, struggling to stand from his crumpled position as he frantically went over what had just happened to him.

"Like any program, electrify cannot be used indefinitely," he reasoned. "I'm out of ammo . . ."

Matthias's gaze drifted down the hallway. His eyes widened with shock and his heart tightened painfully as he watched Svetlana, the girl dressed as a Native American, hold out her arms and emit a visible pulse that shot in the direction of his sister. Matthias opened his mouth to scream, but of the two voices struggling to escape him neither managed sound.

Matthias seemed to blink, and both Nancy and Franz, standing right beside her, were gone.

**

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Author's Note:** I do love Matthias dearly as a character. He is so much fun to write as a jerk, but then I also enjoy writing him as a nice person as well. He really is a nice person on the inside . . . I think. Next update in three days, by the way~


	44. Part 8, Section 3: Nancy

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Eight: **

**Disaster

* * *

**

**Author's Note:** And here's section three . . . is anyone reading this, still . . . ?

**

* * *

Nancy (Section 8.3)**

Nancy watched as her brother, Kokoro, Valentina, and Waldo crossed the cafeteria. They slipped through a hole in the wall, unnoticed by the teacher that had run into the room to try and calm the students. She turned to Franz, wondering what they were doing now, and watched as he turned to Katja to discuss their plan. (That didn't surprise Nancy. For a while now, Franz had been distant around Nancy. He had been quite nice to her until around the time that the Lyoko-DL had been completed, but then he'd begun to all but ignore her again.)

"I need my laptop," Franz said quickly. "If anything bad happens to it, I'll lose tons of work on Diitto."

"What about Waldo's laptop?" Nancy asked, wondering if her classmate valued the data on his laptop as much as Franz valued his own data. He hadn't had a choice about heading off to the bunker – perhaps it would be worth her while to try and get Waldo's laptop?

Franz cocked his head back and forth, thinking. "Yeah, we should probably go for that, too. But neither of us have Waldo's key, so . . ."

"I wouldn't exactly need a key to get into someone's room," Nancy said softly, feeling her fingers numb. She could feel the program, electrify, dormant within her. At a moment's notice it could come to her aid, spring from her fingers, so long as her fear didn't hold it back as it had done all but once before . . .

Franz and Katja glanced at one another. "I think that Nancy should get Waldo's laptop – he has information on the return to the past on there that's very valuable," Katja said. She then turned to face Franz. "I'll go with you – with the radio tower atop the Elizabeth building, time may not be on our side. We'll meet up with Nancy afterwards in the courtyard."

"Okay, that works," Franz said, glancing back at Nancy before speaking. "Good luck," he said told her before beginning to run across the cafeteria. Katja was right behind him. A teacher yelled at them as they passed, but neither Diitto warrior paid him any heed.

Nancy felt herself begin to shake – the reality of what had just happened was beginning to dawn upon her. She paused for a few seconds, collecting her scattered thoughts, before turning around and facing her roommate. Chakori was still standing, petrified and strangely stoic. Reaching out, Nancy took the girl's hands in her own and squeezed tightly.

"Chakori, I know that my words might not make any sense to you right now, but please know this: everything will be okay. I don't know how yet, but before you know it none of this will mean anything. Someday, I'm sure, you won't even remember it."

Cocking her head slightly, Chakori met Nancy's gaze with her own. "You're crazy," she whispered, the reflection of the destruction around them glittering in her eyes.

Nancy bit her lip, searching for a response. Her insides twisted with strange emotions, but despite her fear, anxiety, confusion, and a hint of lethargy, a feeling unfamiliar to Nancy was dominating. It was a sense of duty, a result of the bond she and the other Diitto warriors shared, the pledge they had all made to one another to protect the world from Xana. "Maybe," she said at last, letting go of Chakori's hands and taking a step backward. "But I'm not the only one. I'll see you soon, Chakori. There's something important that I have to take care of."

Turning, Nancy streaked across the cafeteria, passing the crowd that the lunch ladies and teacher were gathering in preparation of moving everyone to the front of the school. Shouting trailed Nancy, but she ignored the stiff words, knowing that her reason for disobeying them was just. She headed straight in the direction of the Jean-Pierre building, thankful that it seemed unharmed by the earthquake. It would only take her a moment to run up to the second floor, break into Waldo's room, and fetch his laptop. Then she would meet up with Franz and Katja, and together they would figure out where to go from there . . .

Kadic Academy seemed to have lost power in the earthquake or when the phone tower fell, dragging power lines with it. Upon reaching her dormitory, Nancy tried to open the door, failed, and then rued the fact that Kadic had been modified with electronic doors sometime between the present and when her father had attended the school. Thankfully, a student ran out of the building a moment later, looking bewildered as Nancy shoved her way past him to get into the building he was so eagerly fleeing. Nancy sprinted to the stairs and began to climb, for once thankful that the boys lived on the second floor. (Never again would she complain about having to climb two flights of steps when the boys only had to walk one.)

Once on the second floor, Nancy bolted down the hallway to Waldo's room. She reached it, tried to force the door, and then failed. As expected, it was locked. Taking a deep breath, Nancy put both hands on the doorknob and bit her lip nervously, both eager to blast her way into the room and fearful to do so. Finally, Nancy allowed her hands to spark. Somehow, the jolt the door received broke the lock, and Nancy hastily entered her classmate's room. She glanced around for Waldo's laptop, failed to locate it, and then spied his backpack. Kneeling down, she rummaged through the bag – he had his laptop in there. Nancy rid the bag of all unnecessary, heavy textbooks, yanked Waldo's phone and laptop charger from the wall, and then stuffed the mess or cords into the backpack. Putting it on as she stood, Nancy's gaze drifted to Waldo's desktop. For a moment, she stared at the screensaver – a small, white light that seemed to swim within the confines of the screen – before darting to the computer. Waldo did not leave it locked since he lived in a single. A better opportunity couldn't have presented itself to Nancy.

"If anything happens to his laptop, he'll thank me," the redheaded girl whispered to herself as she began to click and type. Waldo's desktop wasn't able to store too much power, but she believed that it had enough to do what she needed it to. If she was able to sent the data he had gathered on the return to the past to the supercomputer itself then there would be a chance that Waldo could do something with it back in the bunker. Though it wasn't possible to control how far back in time they went and time would freeze if the return to the past was activated, time being frozen was better than time slipping away, slowly destroying everything in its path . . .

The world began to shake and roar. Squeaking in alarm, Nancy dove under Waldo's desk and remained there until the aftershock had subsided. Then she crawled from beneath the desk and resumed her work, mind racing. The data package was ready after a few moments – all she needed to do was send it. For a moment, Nancy wondered if it was even safe to send the data over the Internet. Xana had access to the information on the web, but Xana was also presently focused on a massive attack. Even he had limits, so Nancy felt that the risk was worth the benefit. She began the transfer process, sending the data on the return the past on its way to the Diitto supercomputer.

"Step away from the computer."

A chill ran through Nancy's spine. She slowly turned to see that two figures had appeared in the doorway, one in Egyptian attire and one resembling a Native American. Both were masked, but the accent in the one girl's voice revealed her identify straight away. Nancy stood petrified upon finding herself face-to-face with Maria and Svetlana, clad in their virtual costumes. Two against one . . . that would surely kill her . . .

"Perhaps you did not understand me," Maria repeated, taking a step into Waldo's room. "Step away from the computer."

"Why should I?" squeaked Nancy, her voice higher than she would have liked it.

"Because I told you to," Maria said cruelly, taking another step toward Nancy.

Behind Nancy, she heard a small beep. Biting her tongue, Nancy slowly raised her hands, acting as if she meant to slowly move away from the computer. Then, she acted, feeling time slow as she sped up, using the once-dormant mutated genes she had inherited from her father. In one smooth motion, she sent a ball of red and white electricity at Waldo's computer, silently sending him an apology as she completely fried his desktop and the other devices sitting on his desk. Maria and Svetlana let out crude hisses, and the former lunged at Nancy. She jumped onto Waldo's bed to dodge him, flattening herself and Waldo's backpack into the wall momentarily, and then jumped in the direction of the door, sending a wave of electricity along her arm as she elbowed Svetlana out of the way.

Once out in the hallway, Nancy lost her balance and fell to the floor, feeling her head explode as it came into contact with the floor. Dizzily, Nancy struggled to stand, but was barely able to do much more than huddle up against the wall. Her vision tunneled as Svetlana and Maria emerged from Waldo's room, moving to stand on either side of her. Chucking, Svetlana reached up and removed the bear mask she wore, tossing it carelessly aside. Maria soon did the same with her golden Egyptian mask, also revealing her true face.

"Give up while you can," Maria said, standing above Nancy. "Xana will win. It is only a matter of time before he will have the world under his control."

"Only then will there be peace in this troubled existence," Svetlana said.

Nancy kept her gaze away from the Russians. She was in too much pain to cry, but the movement was still instinct. Her head continued to spin – it was doubtful that she could fight one of these girls, but there was absolutely no chance that she could fight both Svetlana and Maria. In fact, it had probably been a fluke that she had been able to harness her lightning to break into Waldo's room and destroy his desktop in the first place . . .

"You're wrong . . ." Nancy whispered softly, still unable to meet the Hapaskys's gazes.

"Excuse me?" Maria said, reaching out and kicking Nancy's side with a golden slipper. "Speak up, little mouse. I cannot hear your pitiful squeak."

"I said, you are _wrong_!" Nancy said, her voice stiffening with anger. She didn't have to take the Hapaskys's crap. As long as she had breath within her, she had a voice. And she would let it be heard. Fighting the pain that tried to hold her back, Nancy summoned two large balls of electricity to her fists. Startled, Maria and Svetlana exchanged brief looks, an action that resulted in their being shot backward as Nancy unleashed her lightning.

Nancy seized her opportunity and ran. She made it partway down the hallway before the most painful feeling engulfed her. Before Nancy realized what had happened, she was flying through the air, and slammed up against the end of the hallway. The wall, already cracked, began to crumble. Nancy felt her body go limp once more.

Slowly, Svetlana and Maria began to approach. Nancy watched through slit eyes, blurred vision as they suddenly stopped, darting into an open doorway. She then became aware of the fact that the earth was shaking – her dizziness has initially masked that fact. Another aftershock . . . ?

When the shaking had stopped, Maria and Svetlana emerged and made their way down the hallway. Nancy's senses were completely distorted – the wall behind her had crumbled completely, leaving a hole of brick and whatever else it had been made of. From the courtyard, people were screaming. The noise, coupled with the pain, was almost too much for Nancy to bear. She wanted it to end . . .

Then, something moved in a blur. Nancy watched as someone tackled Maria, rolling the girl in the Egyptian costume across the floor. Nancy then heard her brother scream, and watched as Matthias was thrown into the air, glowing red as if he was on fire. He couldn't be on fire, could he . . . ?

The girl's vision blurred again, and suddenly she became aware that there was someone touching her hand, gently shaking her shoulder. "Hey, Nancy – stay with me," said a strikingly familiar voice. Nancy knew that voice. It had, at one point, convinced her that, despite the fact that she was too scared to go to Diitto, she was an asset to the Diitto warriors regardless. Then, because of something she could barely remember, she had let the owner of the voice down. Nancy had likened the feeling to that of disappointing a family member – a family member she had always looked up to and adored . . .

"Nancy!" Franz repeated. Though her tunneled vision, Nancy saw that his eyes were livid with fear. His hair, normally too long, was a mess, with bits of debris in it. "Please, stay with us! Don't give up now!"

"I'm sorry . . ." was all that Nancy could manage. She didn't feel as if she could move. Everything that could hurt did. It was getting harder to breath as well . . . why was that?

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Nancy!" Franz said quickly. His words touched Nancy, evaporating some of her pain on contact. But the sting from Svetlana's attack remained. Her skin still stung.

"Nancy, we need to get out of here. You're in really bad shape," Franz said, reaching beneath Nancy's arms and pulling her to her feet. She was unsteady at best, and gagged, managing to fight back the urge to vomit.

"You will not escape," came a voice. Nancy didn't identify it. Instead, she felt an intense pain, accompanied by a stinging blast, as she was lifted off the ground. It was at that point her vision blurred for good as she lost consciousness.

**

* * *

Author's Note:** Slightly shorter than usual, but it was action-packed enough to make up for that. Right? I do hope that I've been developing Nancy a bit more lately, making her more likeable by showing that she is strong on the inside – that strength is just taking a little while to come out.


	45. Part 8, Section 4: Franz

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Eight: **

**Disaster**

* * *

**Author's Note:** Epic, right?

* * *

**Franz (Section 8.4)**

After Matthias, Kokoro, Valentina, and Waldo had disappeared from the cafeteria, Franz turned to Katja. If Nancy intended to stay behind with Chakori, then the older girl was the only one available to help him get into and out of his dormitory.

"I need my laptop," Franz stressed. "If anything bad happens to it, I'll lose tons of work on Diitto."

"What about Waldo's laptop?" asked Nancy. Franz turned to face the younger girl, then cocked his head back and forth in thought.

"Yeah," he rationalized. "We should probably go for that, too. But neither of us have Waldo's key, so . . ."

"I wouldn't exactly need a key to get into someone's room," Nancy said simply, her soft tone chasing away any thought Franz had relating to giving up on his brother's laptop.

"I think that Nancy should get Waldo's laptop – he has information on the return to the past on there that's very valuable," Katja said after Franz made eye contact with her, glancing between him and Nancy as she spoke. She then shifted her gaze to Franz alone. "I'll go with you – with the radio tower atop the Elizabeth building, time may not be on our side. We'll meet up with Nancy afterwards in the courtyard."

Franz glanced back at Nancy. "Okay, that works," he said. "Good luck," he then added before taking off across the cafeteria. Some teacher began to yell, but Franz ignored them. The naïve teacher knew nothing about what was really going on – and besides, gathering everyone in front of the school where Xana could easily pick them off was probably one of the stupider ideas floating around in wake of the disaster.

Throngs of students were running every which way outside. Franz shoved his way past most of them, familiar and not, on his way to the Elizabeth building. He sprinted up to one of the doors and caught if just as someone was leaving. The girl, maybe an eleventh grader, took it upon herself to demand that Franz and Katja stay away from the building. Franz ignored her, holding the door long enough for Katja to catch up to him and enter the building. The two of them then hurried to the closest stairwell and proceeded to climb to the third floor of the building.

Once they had reached Franz's floor, Franz and Katja paused for a moment to orient themselves and catch their breath. Both were very athletic, but the dust floating in the air coupled with the occasional cloud of smoke (something was on fire somewhere) wasn't good for their lungs. After managing a few deep breaths, he waved Katja forward again and the two of them hurried down the hallway. Reaching his room, Franz fumbled with the key and lock, then finally pushed open the door.

"The walkie-talkie is in my closet on the top shelf to the left," Franz told Katja. She silently moved to fetch it as Franz grabbed his backpack, dumped out everything already in it, and then moved to his desk to unplug his laptop. He put it into his pack, then turned to Katja. "What else do you think we'll need?" he asked her.

"Chargers," she said at once, her dark eyes darting around the room. "Err – anything you don't want burned just in case the building catches fire . . ."

"Nothing else is irreplaceable," Franz noted, crawling under his desk and pulling his computer charger from the wall. He shoved it back out, and Katja took the initiative to bag it as he backed out from beneath his desk again. Nothing aside from his laptop was irreplaceable, though a handful of his clothes were lucky and a few objects had mild sentimental value. Franz headed straight for his closest, reached for the bottom drawer, opened it, and pulled out a small journal. He then took his backpack from Katja, who threw him a curiously bewildered look as he packed away the journal. "Okay, everything else is replaceable or Matthias's and can burn. Let's go."

On their way out of the building, Franz and Katja darted into the nearest doorway to wait out the first of many expected aftershocks from the big quake. They then hurried back into the courtyard, brushing past the groups of students to an area free of other people. Franz did his best to ignore the smell of smoke, the screams, the sirens from somewhere far away, and shifted his gaze to the Elizabeth building. Nancy, theoretically, should have made it out before him and Katja since she was only going to the second floor of a building instead of the third floor, right . . . ?

"I have a bad feeling . . ." Katja said softly.

"The world just ended. I have a bad feeling, too," Franz said dully. He was beginning to worry about Nancy. She was taking way too long to come out of the Jean-Pierre building.

"Do you think that the others made it to the bunker?" Katja asked.

"Err . . . yeah," Franz replied, finding the momentary distraction Katja's questions provided him evened out the fact that they were small-talk.

Franz didn't know how much time passed, but with each second he became more and more anxious. Over the past few months Nancy had become like a little sister to him. He could almost pass her and Waldo off as twins for the brotherly attachment he had for them both. What had started off as purposeful defiance, Franz could remember making a point to talk to Nancy when they were younger just to agitate Matthias, had grown into a valued friendship. Nancy was a smart girl, though not everyone managed to see that because she seemed to radiate a sense of uneasiness and meekness around others. After spending so much time with her working on the Lyoko-DL, Franz had learned that there was much more to Nancy beyond her shell. He faintly hoped that thought of him in the same way he thought of her – it would be silly of him to think of her as his sister if she didn't look up to him as a brother.

Suddenly, Matthias appeared. His black jacket was dirtier than it had been when Franz had seen him last, almost as if he'd been rolled on the ground or something similar. After darting his eyes around the courtyard once more, he turned back to Franz and Katja to ask "Where's Nancy?"

"She went to get Waldo's laptop while we went to get mine and the walkie-talkie," Franz replied, nodding to the bag on the ground beside him. "And she was supposed to meet us back here when she was done . . ."

"What are you doing here? Didn't you head to the bunker with the others? Why are you bleeding?" Katja asked, vocalizing the questions that had been running around in Franz's own head.

"On the way to the bunker, we encountered Uliya and Nadya," Matthias began, speaking quickly. "I stayed behind to fight them. Somehow I came out the victor. The blood is from when I helped someone out of a building. Hey, have you seen the sixth-grade Hapaskys around . . . ?" he then added, tone straining.

At once, Franz felt the color drain from his face. If the female Hapaskys were running around (Franz merely accepted this fact as truth) and Nancy had not yet returned, then she was most likely in a lot of trouble. "No, we haven't," Franz managed to choke as he turned to Katja. "Watch the bag," he told her, managing to keep his voice. "If we aren't back in seven minutes – err – then chances are something really bad happened to us."

"Franz-"

"Katja, we'll go look for Nancy. Stay here – we'll be back soon," Franz said, beginning to walk with Matthias in the direction of Jean-Pierre.

"No, Franz – never mind, I'll tell you later," Katja said hastily, waving Franz off after he paused to listen to her speak. Flashing Katja a brief smile and a thumbs-up, Franz turned and ran after Matthias, who had moved ahead of him, to the dormitory. When they couldn't open the door, Franz watched as Matthias's hands began to glow with lightning. The shock somehow unlocked the door, and both boys rushed into the building.

Franz and Matthias began to climb the stairs. They had almost made it to the second floor of the building before stopping abruptly. Everything began to shake, and the accompanying sound could be likened to a train running straight through the walls. Once the aftershock had ended, the two boys made it to the second floor, finding what they sought there. Franz watched as Matthias glanced from his little sister, lying crumpled on the ground beside a gaping hole in the wall, and the two figures looming over her. One was dressed as an ancient Egyptian, the other some sort of Native American. Unmasked, Franz could clearly see that they were the two youngest Hapasky girls.

Matthias acted, lunging the girl in the Egyptian costume. Franz's mind quickly settled on the explanation for this – that the girls were in the costumes they donned on a virtual world and that, somehow, Xana had teleported them to Earth so that they could cause as much damage as possible. As his roommate rolled down the hallway with the Hapasky, distracting her and drawing the attention of her cousin momentarily, Franz turned back to Nancy and then ran to her side. She looked awful, and that scared Franz more than anything else to happen so far that day. Dust and dirt coated her usually bright red hair, her face was smudged, lip bleeding. The arm of her tan jacket was ripped in two places, and a trickle of blood. The girls eyes were open, but Franz was unsure whether or not she was truly able to see.

"Hey, Nancy – stay with me!" Franz said, gently shaking the girl's shoulder and touching her hand. It was cooler than normal. When Nancy made no response, Franz felt his already panicked heart rate quicken. "Nancy!" he repeated. "Please, stay with us! Don't give up now!"

Finally, Nancy managed to speak, not moving her face and thus not making eye contact with Franz. "I'm sorry . . ."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Nancy!" Franz said quickly, overjoyed that she was able to speak but bewildered by her statement. Franz then glanced away from the girl, finding that the Native American Hapasky was losing interest in the battle between her cousin and Matthias. "Nancy, we need to get out of here," he began, reaching out and pulling her to a perilous standing position. "You're in really bad shape."

Nancy looked as if she was about to be sick, but her actions were determined. It would be possible to get her out of the building. Franz began to lead her to the stairwell when he heard someone speak. The Hapasky had once again locked her eyes upon them.

"You will not escape."

Franz watched in horror as the Native American held out her arms. She said something, and then a blast of air began to fly through the air toward Nancy. Time seemed to slow. Franz acted. He reached forward to grab Nancy, shelter her from the blast. It hit him, and he felt as if every part of his body would explode from the sting. Then, the pain vanished. Franz became aware that he was flying through the air – the blast had pushed him out the wall. He tightened his grip on Nancy, bracing himself for impact.

It came, and Franz felt as if every part of him was broken. Somehow, he managed to open his eyes. He couldn't move. His leg felt as if it was on fire, and his head pounded from the screams of all those surrounding him. Though his dizzied vision, he watched as the girl that had attacked him jumped through the hole in the second floor. A thought flashed through Franz's head – it was amazing that he had survived a drop from the second floor with only a hurt leg . . .

With a shock, Franz remembered Nancy. He turned to his side and glanced at her. Her eyes were wide, pure shock. She was still breathing, though, wasn't she? It had just slowed . . .

A shadow loomed over Franz. He looked up to see the Native American girl smiling cruelly down upon him. "Goodbye," she whispered, holding out her arms once more.

Franz closed his eyes against the antagonizing blast, lunging forward to keep the bulk of it from striking the girl beside him. He felt every ounce of energy slipping from him. The last sound he heard was of someone shouting his name . . .


	46. Part 8, Section 5: Waldo

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Eight: **

**Disaster**

* * *

**Author's Note:** I realized that I have a busy week ahead of me and find it more convenient to post this now rather than tomorrow. Yay for you all. So . . . ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you the season finale of _Code Lyoko: The Diitto Generation!_ (Don't worry, I won't stop writing, and will be uploading the next chapter of this story when I can. I just consider this the season finale because it is where I would cut off everything if the events so far had been a television series.)

* * *

**Waldo (Section 8.5)**

Diitto's core was strikingly like Lyoko's – from the images Waldo had seen via his brother's visual over the Lyoko-DL, the room he, Kokoro, and Valentina had been virtualized into was nearly identical. The wall was spinning, the room itself was off-white, blue lining. Waldo instinctively knew that his own powers would not work in the core since it was different from the terrain that made up the other seven sectors. However, Kokoro and Valentina would do everything in their power to get him to the core's tower. Waldo silently hoped that whatever they came across wasn't too much for the girls to handle.

"You three will have a total of three minutes to cross the room you encounter after leaving the entry point," Aelita told everyone, her voice echoing within Waldo's mind. "After you make it through the room, do not head down the obvious path. That will eventually lead you to the celestial dome, which is not where you want to go."

The spinning room slowed to a stop, and a path began to form from the core blocks before Waldo's eyes. "Okay, Mom, we'll check in once we clear the first room. Do you have my visual?"

"Yes, Waldo. Good luck, kids."

Without another word, Kokoro, Valentina, and Waldo exploded down the pathway. Kokoro led, while Valentina ran beside Waldo a few paces behind her.

"Mrs. Belpois – you should go and get the walkie-talkie Franz mentioned!" said Valentina right as the three of them reached a large room with a sparking, white floor. The exit was clearly across from them. But, just walking across the room would be way too easy . . .

"Walkie-talkie?" repeated Aelita.

"Yeah, Franz put a walkie-talkie somewhere in the lounge. He has his on him, so go you should probably go and get it just in case he tries to contact us," Waldo rationalized.

"Okay, I'll leave you three for a moment. For goodness sake – go! The clock began to count down the moment you left the entry point!"

The alarm in his mother's voice struck Waldo. He lunged forward, but Kokoro held her arm out to block him. "Too easy," she mumbled, voicing Waldo's thoughts. "I'll go first."

Carefully, Kokoro stepped onto the floor. At once, it became alive, with ripples traveling the length of the room as if Kokoro had dipped her foot into a pond. She began to run, and to Waldo's great alarm he noticed a tangle of white vines snaking up her legs, struggling to grab hold of her. In the places where she had stepped, the vines continued to grow – a series of them began to inch back toward the platform where Valentina and Waldo remained . . .

"Ice ray!" Valentina shouted in English. Waldo expected her to aim for the plant-like things, but instead she aimed for the floor itself. An icy path appeared, and Valentina tentatively leapt atop it. The plants lunged for her, but they were not able to reach her in time.

Meanwhile, Kokoro had reached the other side of the room. "Waldo, follow Valentina!" she screamed.

Waldo didn't need to be asked twice. He jumped onto the ice platform Valentina had made. Every few paces she was adding to her path, but at the rate they were going plants were engulfing it as rapidly as it could be generated.

"Make a break for it!" Valentina hissed finally before turning on one of the largest plants and aiming an ice ray at it. The plant was frozen in place, but another had taken the opportunity to wrap around her tail. Waldo rushed past her as she howled at the plants, aiming ice rays all around her. He collapsed beside Kokoro on the ground, then turned back to face Valentina. She was almost covered in the strange white vines.

"De-virtualize me!" Valentina croaked, pinned to her ice path.

"Go," Kokoro told Waldo, pushing him out of the room into the hallway. The ceiling was beginning to lower over the doorway – their time was running out. Glancing back, Waldo watched as Kokoro pulled off several red bracelets and them aimed them at Valentina. She shot them, and then jumped beneath the moving ceiling before she was locked in the room with the strange plants.

"I found the walkie-talkie," came Aelita's voice.

"Good," Kokoro replied before Waldo could say the same thing. "I just de-virtualized Valentina because she would have been trapped. She'll be back in the scanner by now."

"Oh – my – okay," Aelita stammered in surprise.

"Where now, if not straight?" Waldo asked, looking down the narrow hallway.

"I'll open the pathway. It'll be obvious," Aelita said. "Please be careful. There will probably be monsters in the isolated section of the core I am giving you access to."

"Aelita, can we have our vehicles?" Kokoro asked suddenly. "We should have had them before. Then we wouldn't have lost Valentina to the floor back there . . ."

"I wouldn't advise you using the fireglide in the core, Kokoro," Aelita told the girl as she and Waldo continued down the pathway. "But I could send one of the more compact vehicles instead."

"Okay then. Surprise me with which one," Kokoro said.

"I'll leave the vehicles at the junction you're about to come across," Aelita said.

As the pathway curved, Waldo caught sight of an alternate route. Just having finished materializing, the aerowing and the areoboard were hovering in place, waiting for their riders. Waldo stepped onto the base of his vehicle. He had never actually gotten the chance to test it out himself before now . . . hopefully he hadn't left a bug in the programming anywhere.

Kokoro seemed at home on Franz's vehicle, amusing Waldo for a moment – Franz hadn't been able to balance that well when he had first tried his vehicle. She turned to him, their eyes met, and then both began to speed down the pathway. It was shorter than Waldo had imagined – almost immediately, he and Kokoro came across a large circular room. In the center, glowing red, was the core's one tower.

More manta than Waldo cared to count were circling the tower. As the Diitto warriors entered the room, they attacked, firing a volley of lasers in their direction.

"Get to the tower!"

Kokoro sped headfirst into the swarm, providing a kamikaze-style distraction, leaving Waldo hovering by the doorway. Biting his tongue, he dove down to the ground, skimming the floor on his way to the tower. Lasers littered the ground around him, two struck him, but he continued regardless. The tower drew closer with every passing second. In five he would arrive. Four, three, two . . .

Waldo jumped from his vehicle, sending it straight into a manta that had begun to fly beside him. He rolled through the wall of the tower then paused, stunned momentarily, to glance at the thousands of screens reflecting his image back at him. Then he remembered to move, jumped to his feet, and hurried to the center of the platform. From there, he rose to the platform at the top of the tower, and in a few more, quick steps he had reached its center. A large semi-transparent screen materialized with his presence, and Waldo hastily reached out to place his left hand on the interface.

His genetic code registered. Waldo removed his hand from the computer interface and watched as the image faded, soon replaced by words.

WALDO

CODE: DIITTO

And with that, the tower was deactivated. Waldo let out a sigh of relief. For the moment, Xana couldn't cause any more damage. But so much damage had already been done, and there was no way to erase it . . .

"Kokoro was de-virtualized by the mantas," Aelita said a moment later. "Hold tight, honey, I'm about to bring you in . . ."

Waldo grunted his response. Though he had succeeded in deactivating the tower in the core, he still felt as if he had lost. Everything he loved was still in ruins. It would take _years_ for things to return to normal, and even then there was no guarantee that they would. Something as cruel and powerful as Xana, as a supercomputer with such energy at its disposal, needed a return to the past as a failsafe in case things ever got out of hand as they had now . . .

Without the return to the past, the destruction caused by the supercomputer would linger.

Waldo found himself in the scanner once more. He stumbled out and made his way to the computer room. Aelita, Kokoro, and Valentina were once again watching the news feed. The images flashing across the screen were painful, leaving Waldo with a queasy feeling in his stomach. The earthquake had done so much damage. The frequent and violent aftershocks were continuing to do so much damage.

Turning away from the screen, Waldo headed to the second computer monitor. Almost immediately, he noticed the icon that indicated the supercomputer had received a data transfer. Bewildered, he checked the details. _He_ had sent the data transfer . . . ?

Waldo checked the files: everything he had on the return to the past had been sent directly to the supercomputer. Pure disbelief engulfed him. Who had sent him his work? A dozen scattered thoughts flashed through his mind. _Had his dad possibly . . ._

"_Hello? Someone please respond!"_

The walkie-talkie sitting by Aelita began to crackle. Though the signal wasn't anything special, Waldo clearly recognized Katja's voice. So did his mother. She hastily picked up the walkie-talkie and replied.

"Katja? This is Aelita-"

"_Aelita? Listen, listen, Franz and Nancy are hurt-"_

Waldo felt his fingers grow numb. Katja's voice was borderline hysterical. He glanced across the room and watched as what little color there was left in his mother's face vanished. "Franz . . ." was all that she managed to whisper in response.

"_The Hapasky girl is torturing them! I – I don't know what to do-"_

Kokoro ripped the walkie-talkie out of Aelita's grasp, seeing that the woman had gone into a state of shock, and began to communicate with her sister, trying to pry more details from her. Katja's comments were hysterical bursts of information. Franz and Nancy had been knocked outside through a hole in the wall. Matthias had disappeared.

Waldo's fingers began to act before his brain caught up with him. That the Diitto supercomputer had received a data burst with all of his return to the past information was a sign of sorts. Someone, maybe his father, must have wanted him to act upon it . . .

The boy brought up the return to the past program and a copy of Lyoko's return to the past. He had looked at both last night: Diitto's copy would freeze time and send everyone back to a random time while Lyoko's copy had been created to unfreeze time and send everyone back in time much farther than normal in addition to its regular usage. If aspects of Lyoko's return to the past were merged into Diitto's, then, while there wasn't a chance of simply fixing the program, Waldo was sure that he could alter it enough to-

Katja's scream filled the bunker, and then the walkie-talkie began to transmit static. Kokoro cursed violently, damming the Hapaskys and Xana, as she headed for the elevator. Valentina was at her side. Kokoro shouted for Waldo to come with her. Aelita stood, and also said something to her son. Waldo ignored them both.

"If I can add in the modifications Dad made to the time jump component of his return to the past to fix the problem with my return to the past, then I _should_ negate the jump component all together," Waldo muttered to himself. He pressed the button to submit the modifications he had made and then, fingers shaking, watched as they were implemented.

"Waldo, what are you-" Aelita began, taking a step in the direction of her youngest son, eying him quizzically.

"Don't kill me if this doesn't work, Mom," Waldo said hastily, bringing up the launch protocol of the return to the past program for Diitto. He let his finger hover over the return button.

_Please, work, please,_ Waldo whispered to himself, staring blankly at the screen, his reflection and the program sitting before him. _It's the only way to keep Franz and Nancy from getting any worse, since we can't make them better . . . yet . . ._

"Waldo-"

The boy's finger touched the enter key.

"_Time, freeze now!_"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Writing this Part was the most fun I have had with the story in a long, long time. If you enjoyed it as much as I did, please leave a review and tell me why. Or just tell me yay and beg for an update – that works too. I know that asking for reviews is tacky and immature, but it is often the best way to gauge just how many people are reading the story. My goal is to make this the best Code Lyoko story out there – am I anywhere near it?

I don't know when I'll be able to update again because I'm coming up on the end of the semester. Chances are I'll have time to write a little, but the regular updates of this Part will likely disappear over the course of Part 9.

Sending lots of love and appreciation. _~Lav_


	47. Frozen in Time

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Nine:**

**Frozen in Time**

* * *

**Author's Note:** I am infinitely sorry it took me so long to write and upload this. I had several extremely busy weeks, and chose to focus on my academics rather than my writing. Unfortunately, I still have an extremely hectic month before me – ending with my finals mid-May. In short, I am not sure how often I will be able to continue the story until then, though I will do my best not to disappoint my beloved readers with another lack-of updates. Once done with the semester, I should have more free time during which I can write a lot more. And write I will – for _Code Lyoko: The Diitto Generation_ is really only just beginning . . .

Since I consider this the start of the second 'season' of this story, I have included a summary of the story thus far before the next chapter to refresh the minds of my readers. (And as an apology for not updating in what . . . weeks now?) However, I would like to request that nobody uses the summary as the sparknotes of my story if you are only just beginning to read it – there is a lot more than what's in the few short paragraphs below! (It's not really feasible to condense 150,000 words into mere paragraphs, you know!) In fact, the summary assumes that you did read the story because it does not go into extreme details about some things.

* * *

**Summary Thus Far:** Years after the original Lyoko warriors defeated Xana with Jeremie's multi-agent program, he and the other warriors have grown up and begun families of their own. However, they each worked on (without the knowledge of their children) a new supercomputer – Jeremie's Diitto. When it was completed, all of the old Lyoko warriors brought their children to the underground bunker that held the new supercomputer for the grand inception. Nine people can safely be transferred to Diitto in a twenty-four hour period, so Jeremie, Yumi, Ulrich, Odd, William, Kokoro, Katja, Franz, and Matthias were virtualized into the sylvan region while Aelita remained in the bunker with the youngest children, Waldo and Nancy (who did not even want to be virtualized in the first place). All the adults but Ulrich then headed to the core so that Jeremie could add the internal stabilization program to the heart of Diitto.

That was when disaster struck. When the supercomputer was brought online, Xana, still alive after all these years, downloaded a series of bugs into the exposed Diitto mainframe. One of these bugs trapped Yumi, Jeremie, Odd, and William in Diitto's core until he could successfully claim their bodies and minds as his own. But before that happened, Jeremie, who designed Diitto using a mixture of his and Aelita's DNA, launched a program unique to him known as the Preservation, successfully integrating himself into the supercomputer and separating Odd's, Yumi's, and William's digital essences from their bodies so that Xana failed to capture them. William's and Yumi's digital essences immediately fused with Matthias and Kokoro respectively, but Odd was left floating around the sylvan region, exposed, after Franz managed to deactivate the tower Xana had activated in the ocean sector to ensure he had enough energy to generate monsters and upload his bugs.

After getting over the shock of what had happened, those who remained – Aelita, Ulrich and the children – formulated a plan to cover for the unexpected disappearances of four people and to continue with their day-to-day lives while working to find a way to bring their family members home. Valentina, Odd's niece, was brought into the picture upon Aelita's command – without her, Odd would be left exposed on Diitto; that she may be able to shelter him in the way that William and Yumi were being sheltered by their children was worth the risk of telling her about the supercomputer. The children who were boarding at Kadic Academy were moved in on schedule (with some signatures forged to account for missing guardians) and, almost immediately, Xana attacked. Luckily, the attack was easily countered, and as Aelita predicted Odd was able to take refuge in his niece when she was first virtualized onto Diitto.

Classes begin, and Franz quickly finds himself entranced by his newest classmate as he does his best, along with the others, to make Valentina feel comfortable at Kadic. Waldo finds it interesting that there are so many foreign exchange students from Russia that year, and decides to take it upon himself to befriend the boy, Ivan, that is a grade above him. As Aelita has taken it upon herself to look for a way to bring back those trapped in the supercomputer (both literally or without a way to de-virtualize) Waldo and Franz decide that they'd like to put their computer skills to work by fixing Diitto's broken (courtesy of Xana) return to the past program. Since doing so by hand would be tedious and take the time they may not necessary have before Xana overcomes the slow-start, (the barrier that prevents him from doing massive damage through Diitto from his host computer) the kids decide to get a copy of Lyoko's return to the past to use as a reference. They fail because Xana attacks as they attempt to retrieve the program and fries the monitor for the old supercomputer. The kids manage to deactivate the activated tower without the assistance of their overworked parents before anything terrible happens, but then find themselves back at square one, at a loss for how to fix the return to the past in a timely manner. Nancy, somewhat excluded from the group until this point, then comes up with the idea of creating a direct link to Lyoko so that either Franz or Waldo can access the return to the past program directly. She then volunteers to help and learn computer coding, still against being virtualized but determined to be useful regardless.

The next time a tower is activated (and the Diitto warriors know of this immediately thanks to Aelita's modified version of Jeremie's old superscanner) the warriors wake in the middle of the night to find not one, but _two_ activated towers. When Nancy passes up the opportunity to go to Diitto, it becomes obvious to everyone that she is afraid to be virtualized. Of the two groups sent to Diitto, the one sent to the alpine region find that Jeremie activated the second tower, and are able to briefly speak to him through Yumi. She warns everyone against using the broken return to the past and tells Katja that she and Nancy will face the most risk whenever they journeyed to Diitto (not that Katja cares or Nancy intends to journey to Diitto anyway). Waldo deactivates the tower in the swamp sector before Aelita deactivates Jeremie's tower, per Jeremie's request, and everyone leaves for his or her beds. But before being brought back, Valentina extends her friendship to Matthias, who had been outcast long ago by the other young Diitto warriors after noting that he isn't as happy with his own friends as he claims to be.

An overlooked activated tower results in another bug from Xana – the Diitto warriors lose their ability to choose their virtualized location. (This brings up the need for new vehicles.) When Xana next attacks, those at Kadic must deactivate his tower on their own as Franz, Matthias, and Valentina (on a field trip) face possessed classmates. In doing so, Matthias learns from Franz (who had learned from reading his roommate's biography on the supercomputer) that he can shoot lightning via a program called _electrify_ while on Earth. When Aelita finds out, she decides that Matthias (and Nancy) have mutated DNA from William, whose own DNA was likely mutated from his extended stay in the virtual universe. Waldo then announces that he inherited the ability to read pulsations on Earth from his mother's own mutated DNA, and it is later determined that Franz's amazing memory is also a genetic mutation as the kids lodged at the Hermitage speak with the girls at the Sterns's. Franz feels a bit of hostility toward Matthias when he realizes that he, also, wanted to know how she was doing after being beaten up earlier in the day by her Xanafied classmate.

Over the course of the weeklong break that the Kadic students have, Katja battles with her jealousy of Valentina and wonders what she should do about her crush on Franz. Everyone goes to the bunker to work on programs, read biographies, and lunch one day. Waldo, without something to assist in his efforts on the return to the past, begins to design vehicles for them all to use. Franz and Nancy finish the Lyoko Direct Link, and they and Waldo go to test it in the factory. (While they fail to find the program they are looking for, Waldo does find a lost video log.) Unfortunately Xana attacks while they do, but since the others are already at the factory so that Aelita can scan the Sterns in preparation for Yumi's imminent reformation. They manage to deactivate both towers, one at a time, and since Xana's was deactivated before Jeremie's Xana is able to take control of his tower – and Odd – and turn on Valentina with the hopes of de-virtualizing Odd's vessel. Luckily he fails.

Once school starts again, the kids work with the Lyoko-DL again – hoping this time to get to Lyoko's core so that they can access the return to the past program. Matthias and Franz ultimately cannot work together, getting into a fight over Valentina. When in Lyoko's core, Matthias is attacked by a Scyphozoa that is unable to touch him because of his father's influence. Kokoro then tries to go with Franz to the core in search of the program, but the two of them fail as well because they encounter a pair of mysterious enemies that fight them. Because of a fuzzy image to appear in Franz's visual, Waldo decides that the enemies are the Russian exchange students from Kadic. A long time passes before Franz is allowed back into the core, because he attempts to return only to find that the Lyoko-DL has been locked out of the system. When the problem is finally fixed, Kokoro arranges for Katja to have personal time with Franz by arranging for the two of them to go to Lyoko impromptu to prevent any ambushes by the Russians, whom everyone now believes to be working for Xana, somehow, because their last name can be seen as _Xana_sky when read in French (English) and written in Cyrillic. (This was discovered when the kids went to Diitto to test their completed vehicles.) Though they encounter problems, Katja and Franz manage to get Lyoko's return to the past, only to find that it, too, has been tampered with.

Again, disaster strikes – Xana gets over his slow-start, and finds a way to avoid detection by the superscanner by activating Diitto's core tower. He remains undetected until a large earthquake shatters France, sending Kadic and everything around it into a state of chaos. The Hapaskys attack, and some of the Diitto warriors are severely wounded from the battle on Earth as others hurry to deactivate the activated tower. When that is done, Waldo takes a moment to think about what has happened to everything around him, to those who are hurt and dying, and, prompted by the data he believes his father sent him from his desktop, makes hasty adjustments to the Diitto supercomputer from the bunker. While he cannot go back in time to fix things, he can prevent them from becoming any worse . . .

Right?

* * *

**Valentina (Section 9.1)**

Valentina could not remember another time when she had been too tired to sleep, a state where it was physically exhausting to twitch, breathe, but when still her eyes refused to close. In her present state, she could not even register the color of the hammock she had collapsed into over an hour ago with the intention of closing her eyes and waking to find that the past twenty or so hours had been nothing more than an agonizing nightmare.

Everything had started out normally, if not a bit depressingly because of Franz's, Katja's, Nancy's, and Waldo's inability to secure a copy of the unaltered Lyoko return to the past. But things had been _normal_ twenty hours ago. All of France hadn't been covered in debris from the original earthquake and aftershocks; Franz and Nancy had not been fighting for their lives. Time hadn't been, possibly permanently, frozen . . .

Valentina was still unsure whether or not Waldo's decision to activate the altered Diitto return to the past had been the right one. She was thankful that the immediate danger had stopped – the world being frozen in time prevented any future aftershocks and had stopped the life-threatening attack on Franz and Nancy. But that didn't change the fact that Valentina was one of nine people in the world at the moment with the ability to move around – and only seven of those people were presently conscious. That notion was unsettling.

Though through his modifications to the return to the past, Waldo had ended the lingering Xana attack, the pause of life's fabric had not allowed the Diitto warriors any silence. For Valentina, who had initially considered herself lucky to be part of the group to head to the bunker, the real work had just begun when everything else suddenly stopped.

Finally, Valentina closed her eyes; the nightmare continued as she relived her everlasting day.

"_Time, freeze now!"_

Valentina's vision was, for the briefest moment, blotted out by white light. She felt a flash of sickness, not unlike the kind of illness one sometimes gets when reading in a moving car, and then, suddenly, felt as if she could no longer remember where she was. But that feeling, too, dissipated momentarily – as Valentina looked around, her sheer panic was quickly replaced by a nagging, worried sentiment.

"What just happened?" Kokoro asked. She was still standing beside Valentina, one hand against the elevator door to keep it open. Seconds ago, she had been ready to rush back to Kadic, just like Valentina, to help those who were hurt there. Now, just like Valentina, she had paused completely, setting everything aside momentarily to address the most prominent question in her mind.

"Did . . . did it work?" Waldo asked shakily, glancing up at the others.

"Waldo, what did you do?" Aelita asked, voice both stiff and calm, almost in awe, as the she moved to stand beside her youngest son.

"I think I froze time, but-" Waldo glanced around the room. "-err, how do I check?"

"I don't believe we would be able to tell if you successfully froze time from in here," the pink-haired woman said hastily, her eyes now glued to the screen before Waldo. "By launching the program from the Diitto supercomputer, whether or not you purposely wrote the failsafe into the program, it would have intelligently preserved its own system by keeping itself awake even if everything else was successfully frozen. Since everything in the bunker is connected to the supercomputer, everything, from the lights to the elevator, would still function."

"Katja stopped communicating with us," Kokoro said hastily, glancing at the lifeless walkie-talkie in her hand. She began to toggle with the knobs and buttons that made it work, bringing it to her lips and calling "Katja? Can you still hear us?"

There was no response. Valentina remembered the initial panic she had felt upon hearing that Franz and Nancy had been injured. "Time did freeze," she said. "I felt it, and now the walkie-talkie has died. Its signal cannot travel anymore."

"We need to get back to Kadic now," Kokoro said, tossing the now useless communication device aside with a clang and then backing into the elevator. "Aelita, Waldo, come on!"

"Waldo, stay," Aelita said, backing away from her son to hurry to the elevator. He shot her a bewildered look, hovering somewhere between beginning to stand and remaining seated, so she elaborated. "I don't know exactly what you just did – and given the circumstances I don't have time to find out. But once your brother and Nancy are safe, I will insist upon a full explanation – be sure you can provide me with one!"

As Aelita entered the elevator and moved to stand between Valentina and Kokoro, the blonde momentarily marveled at how Aelita could remain so calm in a crisis. Granted, she wasn't doing too badly herself, though she still felt as if there should be more panic involved in the average Xana attack. It was almost as if dealing with something like Xana, with the consequences of his very existence, forced a certain state of mind upon the Diitto warriors.

The elevator reached the top floor of the bunker, and the girls rushed out into the entryway. They exited into the sewers, and Valentina, following Kokoro, almost failed to notice the telltale signs that told of time's halt. The water in the sewer was no longer moving, eerily stiff as if solidified. When Valentina made it to the surface, she saw bits of debris floating in the air, though watched as a bit of burnt paper suddenly continued its descent toward the ground as Kokoro brushed past it. The clouds in the sky had stopped moving, though the sun still served to shower the land in weak late-autumn midday light.

As Valentina and the others began to run in the direction of Kadic, she made the mistake of looking into a passing car. The person seated in the driver's seat looked stony – so obviously unnaturally lifeless that the sight made Valentina's stomach churn. She didn't think she would be hungry for a week (which was probably for the best – Valentina didn't exactly know if it was possible to eat when unfrozen in a frozen world).

It seemed to take an eternity to reach Kadic. Valentina saw that the destruction had worsened since she had left earlier – the art building looked awful, and still flames were dancing on the toppled radio tower. Though Valentina didn't have too much time to look around - she had to keep pace with Aelita and Kokoro, both of whom were tirelessly shouting for Katja. It had been she whom they had communicated with last, and according to her Matthias had disappeared and Franz and Nancy had become gravely injured.

Another feeling of sickness surged through Valentina. She didn't want anything bad to happen to Matthias or Franz. If anything happened to either of them . . .

"There they are!"

Kokoro exploded ahead of the group, running to the edge of the courtyard between the two dormitory buildings. Among a group of stiff humans, the sight of which nauseated Valentina, Matthias and Katja were kneeling over Nancy and Franz. Valentina struggled to take in everything in the short time she was allowed: Matthias was covered in blood, both dried and fresh, and he had several burns on his hands and through his jacket on his arms. The fresh blood was from Nancy or Franz, and Valentina had no idea where he had acquired the burns. Katja in comparison was unscratched, though her sleeves had been rolled up and her arms were bloodied. She was using her jacket as a tourniquet around Franz's right leg, and it was already soaked with blood. Matthias was leaning over Nancy, using his own jacket to dab at a pool of blood around Nancy's head. Like Franz, she was unconscious, eyes closed, though almost twice as pale.

Upon catching sight of the newcomers, Matthias spoke, cutting Katja off as she opened her mouth to speak. "Both of them will make it if we work quickly. As of the moment their biggest concerns are blood loss and trauma. I'll need bandages – and braces for the broken limbs. The school's infirmary should have those."

"I will go," Valentina said, beginning to back away from the group and stifling an awkward, choking sound as she accidentally bumped into a frozen student. Unlike when Kokoro had passed the paper, the student remained frozen – it seemed that the Diitto warriors did not have the ability to unfreeze living beings.

As Valentina began to navigate away from the dormitories, she heard Aelita ask "William . . . how?" and, with a start, realized that it had been Mr. Dunbar to send her for medical supplies. He was a doctor – he would know what to do in an emergency. But, Valentina hadn't thought that the digital essences residing within her, Matthias, and Kokoro could take over – especially not on Earth. Then again, Matthias had acted for his father on Diitto in the past. Why wouldn't William be able to have some say in Matthias's actions now?

Valentina reached the infirmary and, flinching as she passed the frozen nurse leaning over a silver-haired girl whose name the anxious blonde couldn't recall at the moment, she began to search through the shelves for the medical supplies William had sent her for. She found bandages and a sling. Then she found several small planks of wood and, figuring that they could be used as braces, added them to her pile on the floor. Valentina then darted across the room, picked up the basket that was always filled with magazines for students to read when confined to the infirmary, and dumped them on the ground. She placed the medical supplies in the basket and then hurried back to the others, passing Aelita and Kokoro on the way. The pink-haired woman mumbled something about stretchers.

"Thanks," Matthias said as Valentina set down the basket beside him. He began to shift through it for a brace and bandages, then hastily moved so that he, with Katja's help, could better wrap Franz's hurt leg. Valentina watched her friend's actions carefully – they were not his own. Matthias typically moved more gracefully than he was doing now; Mr. Dunbar, somehow, had taken complete control of his body to work on Franz and Nancy. Valentina hoped that, because William was able to do so, Matthias was, wherever he was, okay.

"I suggest that we move them as soon as possible," Matthias said after a moment, once Aelita and Kokoro had returned carrying two stretchers between them. "It would be best to be able to monitor them in a safer environment."

"Should we go to one of our houses?" Katja asked, glancing up at Aelita as she spoke.

"No, I think we should bring them back to the bunker," Aelita said. "Right now, that's the only place we can guarantee the smallest comforts of life – while our own faucets might work still if we turned them on, the bunker is the only place that has been truly unaffected by the pause of time, so it still has clean running water, electricity, and plumbing. We can turn the ground floor into an infirmary."

Matthias nodded, as if in agreement with Aelita's reasoning. He then glanced at everyone in turn. "There are five of us – two to a stretcher and one for the basket. Be careful with them . . ."

Carefully, Valentina assisted Matthias in moving Nancy onto one of the light cloth stretchers. The little girl was cold, though the occasional slight twitch in her left fingers eased Valentina's thoughts. When Matthias nodded to her, she assisted him in lifting the stretcher, watching as Nancy sagged into the flexible but sturdy material. Matthias had managed to wrap all of her wounds, so she looked somewhat like a mummy, though the half-comical sight did not amuse Valentina in the least.

"Lead the way," Matthias told Aelita. She and Katja began to carry Franz in the direction of the bunker, and soon he and Valentina followed. Kokoro took the lead, carrying the basket, but then muttered something Valentina failed to catch before running back in the direction of the school. The procession from that point forward was eerily silent – not just because nobody spoke, but because there was no other sound. Birdsong, usually frequent in the area, had ceased. The low hum of the city in the far distance had vanished completely. Valentina could not remember such silence, and found herself stepping heavily just to bring a scrape of noise into the world. Nobody else, if they noticed, said anything.

Getting Franz and Nancy into the sewers was not difficult, just tedious. The process involved wrapping the flexible stretchers around them and Valentina and Katja lowering them, one by one, into the sewers. The task would have been easier had Kokoro still been present, but the other girl had looked as if all the mysteries of the world had solved themselves as she ran off. She had, obviously, thought of something that needed to be done or seen.

Franz and Nancy were gently placed on the ground on the top floor of the bunker up against the back wall. Aelita, upon Matthias's command, went downstairs to the lounge to bring up blankets and the couch cushions. Valentina couldn't understand the rapid French that was the communication between the two, but she guessed that the two cushions would be used to elevate someone or someone's feet . . . or something . . .

Valentina rubbed her forehead. She was beginning to feel tired, but something told her that she wouldn't get to sleep for a while.

When Aelita returned, Waldo was with her. Valentina watched as the blond boy's eyes widened in shock, frantically shifting between Nancy and Franz. He tried to kneel beside his brother, but Aelita and Matthias gave him stern looks so he kept his distance as the two of them spread out blankets and then carefully moved Franz and Nancy onto their respective makeshift beds. Valentina forced herself to watch the sight, though looking at Franz and Nancy, still unconscious, made her feel queasy.

Right as Matthias and Aelita backed away from Franz and Nancy, having done all they could for them with the available resources, Kokoro returned. In addition to the basket of medical supplies she had been carrying before, she toted a small metal shopping basket from a grocery store. Valentina could see that it was packed with foodstuff.

"I had to leave a message for my dad," Kokoro said quickly, passing the basket of medical supplies to Matthias as he came for it. "Even if his car still works, I'm sure everyone else froze on the highway he takes to and from work so he's probably walking back. There's a large sign beside a grocery store he sometimes stops at on the way home – I graffitied 'Go to the bunker' on it."

"Good thinking, Kokoro," Aelita said, ridding the girl of the food basket and shifting the contents around with one hand. "It does look as if we'll be setting up camp here . . ." The pink-haired woman then turned to her son, eyes sharpening with seriousness. "How long, exactly, do you think that will be, Waldo?"

Valentina noticed Waldo's eyes shift, betraying the fact that he did not want to answer his mother's question. "Well, it took over a month for Dad to fix the return to the past when time was frozen the first time . . . can I have a month before you kill me?"

"I'm not going to kill you," Aelita said, somewhat exasperatedly. "What's done is done – for now, anyway."

"Waldo, you did the right thing to freeze time," Katja said quickly. Valentina glanced in the direction of the older girl. Her face was paler than normal, her eyes held in a weary way. "Franz and Nancy probably would have died had you not stopped the Hapasky's attack. She vanished as time froze. I assume that her teleportation was cancelled instantly."

"They are okay for the moment, but that could change at any time," Matthias said, glancing back at Franz and Nancy. "As soon as I can, I'd like to head over to the nearest hospital for supplies. Both children are in comas presently, which means that they will need sufficient monitoring."

Aelita turned to Matthias, and Valentina watched the woman's eyes narrow in a slightly bewildered way. "Just to clarify . . . who is speaking at the moment?" she asked Matthias. "William, or Matthias?"

"Both, in a way," Matthias replied. He twitched slightly, the first Matthias-like action Valentina recognized since she had watched Matthias take on the Hapaskys in order to provide her, Kokoro, and Waldo the opportunity to flee Kadic. "Matthias is speaking and acting, but his speech and movement is being controlled by William – allowing him, err, me, the medical knowledge to care for them." Matthias nodded back in the direction of Franz and Nancy.

A pause of silence filled the room, which Kokoro soon felt the need to break by saying "Okay – so long as my mom knows that I don't like sharing I think we can grasp this concept along with all the other crazy. How many people do you need to go to the hospital with you?"

"As many as can be spared."

"I'll stay with Franz and Nancy," Aelita said quickly. She then turned to Waldo. "Rather than going with Matthias, do you think that you could go home and fetch as many of the blankets as you can carry? If we are to live here, we'll need them."

"Would you happen to have inflatable futons?" asked Matthias. "It would be best if I could get them off the ground."

"I can go with Waldo to the Hermitage while Kokoro and Katja go with Matthias," Valentina said quickly, glancing at everyone in turn as she spoke. She was in no rush to head to a hospital. It killed Valentina to have such a weak stomach, but the last thing she needed was to encounter frozen sick people.

"Do that," Matthias said. He then turned back to Aelita. "Stay with them. I'll try to be back as soon as possible just in case . . ." He trailed, and Valentina felt herself shiver. Franz and Nancy were in danger of dying, weren't they . . . ? Their situation was merely being glossed over, just like the fact that time had frozen had been carelessly tossed aside . . .

Feeling dizzy, Valentina followed Waldo and the others who were leaving out into the sewers. She followed the blond as he broke away from the others, heading in the direction of his house. After a minute her stomach began to feel better, so Valentina decided to test herself by jogging up to Waldo's side and posing one of the questions that plagued her mind.

"How long is time really going to be frozen for?"

Waldo glanced at Valentina, though then turned away hastily as if afraid to meet her gaze. "I don't know," he said dryly, sounding somewhat ashamed of his words. "It depends on a number of things – whether or not my mom helps, if Franz wakes up and can help, whether or not, when I seriously take a stab at the coding, I am able to understand it . . ."

His words, though they failed to surprise Valentina, triggered a feeling of extreme sadness within her. "What would the best case scenario be?" she whispered.

"A month."

Waldo's blunt response led to silence. Neither student said a word until they reached the Hermitage. Waldo gave Valentina specific instructions, directing her to the linen closet as he headed into the basement for the futons. Valentina met him in the kitchen, balancing a huge pile of blankets and towels on her head. Waldo stifled a chuckle, then snapped his fingers, ran back downstairs, and returned a moment later with a plastic two-person sled.

"We can load everything onto this and carry it between us," he said, piling the rolled-up futons and blankets into the sled. There was still space for more supplies, and he and Valentina began to glance aimlessly around the kitchen in search of something else to bring back to the bunker.

"Clothes?" Valentina suggested finally. "Katja and Matthias lost their jackets. They'll probably be getting cold without them."

"Nothing of Franz's will fit Matthias," Waldo muttered. He nonetheless darted upstairs. When he returned he was carrying two sweatshirts. From their sizes, they looked to be Jeremie's and Aelita's.

"We can worry about clothes and stuff tomorrow," Waldo said as he wedged the sweaters into the sled. "For now, we should head back."

"Right . . ."

Valentina helped Waldo lift the sled, and the two of them silently headed back to the bunker. Before Valentina would find time to sleep, she would volunteer to head to the grocery store with Kokoro and Katja and then assist Aelita with arranging supplies in the computer room – the place where it had been decided foodstuffs were to be stored. After that she tried to sleep, failing until her exhaustion finally got the best of her. Asleep, she relived the nightmare that had been her day.

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**Author's Note:** I hope you all liked it. I'll update when I can . . .


	48. Part 9, Section 2: All

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Nine:**

**Frozen in Time**

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**Author's Note: **Last chapter I hit 100 reviews! That's amazing – thank you so very much to each and every one who has reviewed on my story so far! I love receiving reviews and hearing what you, my beloved readers, think about the story. Though most of the story is predetermined, I have influenced some parts based on reviews, so there is a reason to let me know what you all think about certain parts of the story. :P

Unlike all previous chapters, this section is not limited to a specific person's point of view. Rather, it is limited to a specific area. I hope that I don't confuse anyone with this new style (if I do, know that it is only going to be used now and possibly in a select few future chapters).

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**Section 9.2**

The time was, technically, 4:34 in the morning. Though Kokoro's watch, cell phone, and everything else she generally referenced when looking for the time of day had frozen, the supercomputer still kept accurate time. For everyone's convenience, Aelita had made it so that all of the screens around the bunker constantly displayed the present time. That was why, when Kokoro finally gave up on trying to sleep, she knew what time it was.

It was, technically, Thursday morning. Only a few hours before, what would have been Wednesday evening had Waldo not frozen time, had everyone in the bunker finally stopped resembling headless chickens in the sense that they had stopped constantly making runs to various places – her house, the Hermitage, Kadic, the hospital, the grocery store – in search of the supplies they would need to live in the bunker for an extended period of time and for the materials to take care of Nancy and Franz. (Both of who were still unconscious, though, luckily, stable for the moment. The day before Nancy had gone into some sort of shock, though Matthias had quickly fixed that somehow. Kokoro didn't know the specifics of her friends' injuries – she just knew that they were in comas, attached to lots of medical monitoring supplies that Aelita and Waldo had made to work by plugging them into the supercomputer's energy grid, and that Nancy's injuries were worse than Franz's.) Kokoro and Waldo had also run to the factory at one point, wanting to see if Lyoko, like Diitto, was immune to the pause of time. As Aelita had suspected, the similar supercomputer still showed signs of life, meaning that it, like Diitto, had failed to be frozen in time. (Unfortunately, that meant there was a chance that Xana's supercomputer in Siberia may also be unfrozen – though Aelita couldn't say for sure. A supercomputer made in a different manner may not have had the same immunity to Diitto's return to the past, despite its modifications, as Lyoko, which was practically Diitto's older sibling.)

The lounge, which Kokoro was fairly sure Ulrich and Jeremie had not designed as a permanent residence, had been turned into a crowded mix between a bedroom and a living room. Kokoro, Katja, Valentina, Matthias, and Waldo had each been assigned a hammock. Ulrich had claimed the couch, which was just barely long enough to fit him when he laid down. Aelita had, rather than taking the couch, (which was originally offered to her by Ulrich) moved Katja's Japanese-style bed into the supercomputer room. It had come to a general consensus the day before that she was to continue working on the reformation programs while Waldo discovered the extent of the damage done to the return to the past. If he found he needed help to fix it, once he understood what had to be done to fix it, he was to tell his mother. But Kokoro suspected that even once Waldo figured exactly what needed to be done to fix Diitto's return to the past he wouldn't bother to tell his mother. She could tell that the younger boy, despite how everyone was constantly telling him it was for the best, felt somewhat badly about freezing time. The stubborn little twerp would consider it a matter of pride to fix the return to the past on his own. He may allow Franz to help him if he woke up, but-

Kokoro felt her stomach knot, suddenly ashamed of her thoughts. She pinched her eyes shut again, trying to block out all emotion, shatter all the senses that made up her awareness. Franz _would_ wake up. Nancy would, too. Life simply couldn't persist without them – without any of the Diitto warriors.

Her runaway thoughts, at this point, had definitely woken her up completely in addition to instilling a somewhat bad mood that was tainted with guilt within her. Kokoro suddenly found it difficult to remain motionless in her hammock, and hastily scrambled out and climbed down her ladder. Glancing over her shoulder as she crossed the room, Kokoro found everyone else to still be asleep – even Matthias was in his hammock, and he spent nearly all of his time with Nancy and Franz. Kokoro still wasn't sure what to think about William having, for all intensive purposes, taken over his son's body. Matthias still acted like Matthias in the sense that he did stupid things like argue unnecessarily about who got what package of cereal, but as a whole his actions seemed to belong to another person – William Dunbar.

The day before, Kokoro had overheard a conversation between Valentina and Matthias – the American had wanted to know when the normal Matthias would be back (or something along those lines). Matthias had replied that he would go back to normal after Nancy and Franz were no longer in danger. If William forwent his ability to control his actions, he would not be able to take control of his son's body again for a long time, if ever. For the moment, it was still vital that someone with medical knowledge look over Franz and Nancy, and until that changed Matthias wouldn't truly be himself again.

Once in the elevator, Kokoro sent herself to the ground floor. It was bright and sunny outside, as it had been for two days now, and though it was early morning the weather would, ironically, be appropriate for a restless walk. Kokoro knew that, technically, she was not supposed to go off on her own (there was always a chance that the Hapaskys would teleport to the area and attack) but at the moment Kokoro didn't care about the what-ifs that led to that technicality.

The elevator door opened. Kokoro stepped into the bunker's entryway, then moved around to the back of the elevator to the makeshift infirmary Matthias had set up. Nancy and Franz looked just as Kokoro had seen them last. Franz's broken leg was in a cast, bulky beneath the blanket that covered his lower half. Kokoro could see only his chest upward. Aelita and Matthias had changed him into a hospital gown, but they hadn't bothered to tie it to expose the bandage that wrapped around his chest – the Hapasky girl's attack had left him with cuts all over his body. He also had bandages on his arms, legs and shoulder. Franz's face, eyes closed, was pale, and his too-long blond hair seemed duller than usual. A little patch of it was stained red from some blood. Nancy was worse off, having taken much more damage from the Hapasky than Franz. She had a broken arm, broken ribs, ankle, and had initially lost a substantial amount of blood to the point where Matthias had infused her with more (courtesy of himself, as he was the same blood type) in a futile attempt to add a little more color to her cheeks. Bandages were wrapped around Nancy's head, arms, and legs, gauze pads covered the wind scratches on her face and neck. Of course, Kokoro couldn't see the bandages on Nancy's lower half – she was also partially covered by a blanket and had been changed into a medical gown. The blankets were to hide the catheters that both of her friends, being in comas, needed. Matthias was maintaining them every few hours, and keeping an eye on the machines he had attached to his patients with little wires that seemed to measure medical things Kokoro didn't know much about.

"Hey, guys," Kokoro whispered. She leaned up against the back of the elevator, then slowly slid into a sitting position, trailing her hands along the solid wall as she moved. "You'll probably be happy to know that you haven't missed much; just a lot of running around. Most of that, by the way, was for you two."

Kokoro didn't quite understand why she had decided to talk to Nancy and Franz. Neither could hear her, but something told Kokoro that they would both benefit from the company regardless. She also felt that she would benefit from their company – for the past two days or so, she had been constantly moving around, pretending that she was cool enough to handle being frozen in time and whatnot. Kokoro's personality was so that she could usually mask her true feelings and make it look as if she was cool with her surroundings – no matter how strange. In reality, nothing was further from the truth.

"We're going to be here for a while . . ." Kokoro added a moment later. She fixed her gaze upon the ground, scrutinizing the tile beneath her shoes. "I don't think Waldo has a clue what he did to the return to the past – well, he doesn't know what he'd need to do to reverse what he did, anyway. Aelita is going to just keep working on the reformation programs. She's actually really close to freeing my mom. I have a feeling that she might insist on helping Waldo with the return to the past after that, but then again she may just take advantage of the fact that she isn't exactly losing time and go ahead and begin William's program."

Kokoro fell silent once more, and glanced up at Franz and Nancy. They were still motionless – not that she had expected to see either of them show any signs of movement. A strange fluttery feeling bothered the ninth-grader. She pinched her eyes closed again, doing her best to fight back the emotions she felt. Kokoro didn't enjoy not being in control of herself, be that her emotion or her actions. She considered it a form of weakness, and it wasn't in her nature to expose herself in that sort of way.

"You two have to pull through, understand?" she said finally. Her voice was notably higher than it had been a moment ago. Emotion tended to do that to the tone of one's voice when they were bothered in a particular way. "Nancy, you are one of the sweetest people I have ever met. I think I scare you sometimes, but I never mean to be mean if I ever am. I'm that way around everyone – don't pay any attention to my cheek or ever let it get to you. And Franz – you're the only one who can keep up with my wicked sense of humor. If I had to name someone as my best friend, I'd name you – and I'm perfectly cool with the fact that you, in response, would be the perfect gentlemen and say that you couldn't have just one best friend unless twins suddenly counted as one person or something stupid like that. I've always accepted the fact that you and Katja also share something special, though in a completely different way. One of these days your simple little mind will see that modest thing for what it is . . ."

Yet again, Kokoro fell silent. She remained still for a few moments longer, then stood. With a muttered goodbye, she headed for the bunker's door. With the world frozen, there wouldn't be anyone around to tell her not to go onto the roof of some tall building somewhere. Though she and her sister had inherited mild cases of vertigo from their father, there were times when Kokoro simply needed to hide away in a reclusive place – such as on the roof of the school or her house.

Kokoro took care not to slam the door of the bunker as she left – not that the loud sound would have bothered Nancy and Franz. She also didn't think it would have made it to the lounge.

The bunker was quiet until roughly 6:00 am. Matthias emerged from the elevator, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He spared Nancy and Franz a quick glance to make sure they looked no different and then busied himself maintaining the machines and devices they were hooked up to. When he was done, he squirted a generous amount of waterless hand sanitizer onto his hands and then leaned back against the wall to think. When he wasn't doing something directly related to Nancy's and Franz's wellbeing, Matthias found that he could think clearly. Otherwise he felt as if he was sleepwalking. It was necessary to allow his father to care for his sister and roommate, but it was strange. Matthias had decided long ago that he didn't intend to follow in his father's footsteps by becoming a doctor – in the past two days he had learned more medical things that he had cared to learn in his entire lifetime.

Matthias rested his gaze on Nancy. His little sister looked so fragile, wrapped in bandages, so pale. She meant so much to him, and yet Matthias knew that the girl had never really considered him her brother in the sense that siblings usually respected one another. Unfortunately, Matthias wasn't really sure what he could do to show Nancy how much she meant to him. What would have been obvious to someone else wasn't necessarily so for him.

A moment later, Matthias stuck his hands in his pockets and his dark eyes rested softly on Franz. A year ago, he would have confidently said that he hated the other boy. But, since Diitto, pure hatred, jealousy fueled by Matthias's need to be better than others and never quite managing to excel at Franz by anything, had dissipated. The jealousy was certainly still there at times, but Matthias no longer hated his classmate. If he had to, he would have called Franz a friend now . . . he had certainly been nicer to him of late than his other friends had been . . .

"Not that I'd ever tell you anything when you're conscious," Matthias whispered after a moment, bringing his wandering thoughts to a close. He glanced across the room, checking the time on a computer screen, and then yawned. It was time to go back to the lounge and sleep for a few more hours.

The bunker was quiet until almost two hours later. Waldo and Valentina had each woken up twenty minutes before – Waldo easily able to wake up at the early time and Valentina cursing (in English) about how her sleep schedule had been seriously messed up the past few days. After coming to a whispered consensus that the two of them were hungry, they decided to go and eat breakfast. Then they realized neither of them wanted to risk waking Aelita in the computer room, and decided to head to the ground floor on the way to the little convenience store above one of the manholes nearest the entrance to the bunker. Waldo didn't seem nearly as creeped out by all of the frozen bodies as Valentina was, so he cheekily said that he'd go into the store and grab something for Valentina, too. She proceeded to hit him in the stomach, and Waldo stumbled after her out of the elevator gasping for breath.

"Let us go see them quickly . . ." Valentina said, going to the area behind the elevator on the ground floor. Franz and Nancy were still breathing slowly; their monitor's hummed softly beside them.

"I really hope they wake up soon . . ." Waldo muttered, barely loud enough for Valentina to hear.

Valentina silently nodded her agreement, feeling the familiar uncomfortable feeling that came with her thinking about what could happen to them all if time remained permanently frozen. "They will," she managed to say, hoping to, at least, calm the younger boy's mind.

Waldo's gaze drifted to his brother. He didn't know how he'd be able to handle his death if he died. His brother may have been a dork sometimes, but he had always been there for Waldo when he needed him most. Franz was a good person. Insane at times, but he had a good part to him.

Then, Waldo's gaze drifted to his classmate. He hadn't really known Nancy too well before Diitto, and even though he'd begun to talk to her on a daily basis at school he realized that he still didn't know her very well. Waldo didn't think that any of the other Diitto warriors did. Nancy was too shy for her own good, and by refusing to go to Diitto she had outcast herself a bit. But Waldo did enjoy talking to her when she spoke, and acknowledged the fact that he'd be distraught if she died, too. Her death, like Franz's, would be final. Unlike those trapped in the supercomputer, there would be no chance of getting them back no matter how much work went into coding and programming and whatnot.

"They will," Waldo repeated softly to himself.

Valentina let her eyes trail Franz and Nancy for a moment before darting across the room to the door. "Shall we go?" she asked Waldo.

"Yeah . . ." Waldo muttered, beginning to move.

Valentina hesitated, stealing another look at Nancy and then Franz. "They have to get better," she whispered to herself in English. "Franz, I need you to get better . . . but not for the reason you'd like . . . and for that I am sorry . . ."

With that, Valentina followed Waldo out of the bunker. Not ten minutes later, Ulrich came out of the elevator. He'd woken to find three of the kids missing, and while he admitted that they had all probably gone out to get something to eat, he still felt the need to search for them. Ideally, Valentina, Waldo, and Kokoro were together . . . but he wouldn't have put it past Kokoro to go off on her own, despite the fact that the Hapaskys could possibly teleport into the area and attack them all.

Before heading outside in search of the kids, Ulrich went behind the elevator to check on Franz and Nancy. He couldn't keep himself from biting his lip at the sight of the children, wrapped in bandages, so pale. A protective instinct went through him. Franz and Nancy had almost died in the last Xana attack, and he hadn't been able to do anything. He had, midway through his workday, felt an earthquake, and received a message from Aelita telling him that Xana had attacked. At that point, he had begun to fight traffic back home until time had frozen. Ulrich was somewhat thankful that he'd been stationary when time had frozen – he didn't want to think about what may have happened had he been speeding along the road at the time. Since everyone else had also stopped, Ulrich had walked to the bunker, knowing to go there after seeing a huge sign saying 'Go to the bunker.' He'd immediately recognized a magnified version of Kokoro's writing. She had a very distinct script.

Ulrich was most worried about Nancy, who had lost the most blood and taken severe injury to her head. He knew that she and Matthias had things the hardest over the past few months – their father was trapped in the supercomputer (though technically within Matthias) and their mother, who had always been kept oblivious to Lyoko and then Diitto, couldn't be a confidant to the strangeness that they had to deal with now on a day-to-day basis. When appropriate, Ulrich had tried to be a kind father-like figure to Matthias, even though the boy was sometimes difficult to be around. Nancy was much easier to like, and Ulrich was just as concerned for her as he would be for his own daughters. If anything were to happen to either of them, he would be lost. It was bad enough that Yumi was trapped . . . though Aelita claimed that she wouldn't be for much longer.

Turning to Franz, Ulrich couldn't help but bring a slight smile to his face. He'd practically raised the kid in his youth back when Jeremie and Aelita both worked. He'd taught him martial arts, soccer, assisted with his Japanese, and considered him (and Waldo) as a son. If anything happened to Franz, he would be losing a child just as much as Aelita and Jeremie . . .

"You're both strong kids, you'll pull through," Ulrich said firmly before heading from the bunker.

Aelita exited the elevator next, intending to check on Franz and Nancy. When she wasn't working on Yumi's reformation program, she was at their side. The others had taken it upon themselves to ensure that she ate, and the previous night Ulrich had threatened to unplug the supercomputer if she didn't stop to sleep for the night.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Aelita whispered to Franz as she moved to stand by his side. Seeing her son in such a way pained Aelita, but she knew better than to cry. Crying would accomplish nothing. Tentatively, she squatted and then reached out to stroke Franz's hair. She loved her son so much, and wouldn't be able to stand losing him. What happened to Jeremie had shaken her, though she had pulled through that with the knowledge that Jeremie was not actually gone – he could, one day, be brought home. If Franz died, nothing would bring him back. Nancy was the same way, and Aelita was worried about her as well. Aelita was very fond of the sweet little girl. She would be at a loss for what to do with herself if Nancy died, just like with her son.

"According to Matthias – err – William, you two have a chance of waking up soon," Aelita continued softly. "I'll be at your sides the moment you do, I promise . . ."

The elevator opened once more, and Katja emerged. She paused briefly upon catching sight of Aelita, and then managed a shaky smile for the woman. "Hey," she mumbled sleepily. "How are they?"

"No different," Aelita said truthfully. Katja knew the full extent of Franz's and Nancy's injuries. There was no point in sugarcoating their condition for her – or for any of the other kids. They were all such good kids – and all of them had aged beyond their years because of the things they were forced to deal with because of the supercomputer . . .

_If Jeremie hadn't built his supercomputer, none of this would have happened,_ Aelita thought to herself. _Why exactly did we all want to make another one so badly? I don't remember wanting this . . ._

Aelita stood. "I'm going to continue working on your mother's program now," she told Katja. "It's almost finished. In a week, I should be ready to run it. We have that, at least, for good news."

Katja managed a smile. She would love to see her mother again, but at the moment it was difficult to comprehend such a happy thing when the world around her was frozen in sadness. Her favorite person in the world was hovering between recovery and degradation, and there was nothing that she could do to help him.

"I'll see you later, Katja," Aelita said as she passed her. Katja stood in place until she heard the woman get into the elevator, and then moved to the ground in between Nancy and Franz and sat. She rubbed Nancy's hand for a moment, smiling at the little redheaded girl. Nancy thought of her as an older sister, so of course Katja was worried about her and wanted her to recover. When she was better, Katja looked forward to teaching Nancy pencak silat, maybe a few words of Japanese, and spending many more lunches in her company.

Katja then turned to Franz, and as she did she felt her heart tighten painfully. Franz was her best friend, always had been, while at the same time he meant so much more to her than what typically was associated with the label. Gingerly, Katja reached over and stroked the side of Franz's face. Her hand was level with his head, and from her sitting position she was only a foot above him.

"Watching you fall out of that building was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life," Katja whispered softly. She was speaking to herself, and yet it made sense to let Franz hear, too. Not that he could hear her in his present state. Katja was just comforted by the fact that he was listening regardless. There were so many things that she longed to tell Franz, but she never had found the right moment. The closest she had ever come had been a couple of days ago, but Katja had held her tongue, sensing that the present events were more important than her silly feelings. If she had known that Franz would have . . . if she had known what was about to happen to him, then she would have spilled everything regardless . . .

Katja felt the pressure that accompanies tears forming in her eyes. She turned away from Franz for a moment, then found it silly to do so since he couldn't see her at the moment. Taking a few deep breaths, Katja regained her composure and then clasped her hands together firmly in her lap, soft dark eyes resting upon Franz still.

"Please tell me that you have some idea of how I feel," she said softly. "I don't have the courage to tell you outright, and it's not Kokoro's place to tell you – though I wouldn't be the least surprised if she did one day. I'd be ticked off, but I wouldn't be surprised." Katja paused. "I . . . I really don't know what to say to you, or how to act around you sometimes, Franz," she added a moment later. "I didn't intend for this to happen. It just did. A few years ago you were my brother, and now . . ."

Taking another deep breath, Katja leaned forward and slowly kissed Franz on the forehead. "Tell you what – when you wake up, I'll tell you how much you mean to me. Until then . . ."

Unable to bring herself to continue, Katja hastily stood. She moved back in the direction of the elevator, suddenly feeling awkward by staying on the ground floor. "You have to wake up . . ." she whispered to Franz as she headed back to the elevator. "Otherwise I may just die, too."

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**Author's Note:** I hope this chapter provided a bit of insight into my characters and lived up to my readers' expectations. Honestly, don't expect an update until after the 17th of May. That's when my last final is, and I should be studying rather than writing until that time. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you all.


	49. Part 9, Section 3: Aelita

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Nine:**

**Frozen in Time**

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**Author's Note: **I am sorry for not having this up sooner. However, I would like to say that my finals _ended_ on the 17th of May, so I wouldn't have been able to have anything written and posted on that date. I did mean to have this section up less than a week later, though. For that I apologize. Anyway, enjoy!

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**Aelita (Section 9.3)**

"Are you ready, Kokoro?"

"Yes, Aelita."

Aelita began to type commands into the supercomputer. She was initiating the final test of Yumi's reformation program. Based on the results of this one last scan, she would be able to complete the program and bring Yumi home for good. Then Aelita would begin the reformation process anew for William, and after that she would do the same for Odd. After that she would find a way to bring Jeremie home, too . . .

Green eyes flitting across the monitor, Aelita watched as the supercomputer gathered information on Kokoro, currently suspended in one of the scanners. The reformation program worked to isolate the data her mother had stored within her from the girl's own, separating it into two walls of text before the pink-haired woman. Though Aelita sensed movement at her side, she didn't tear her gaze away from the screen to check who was now hovering over her shoulder. Katja had been loitering around the computer room for almost an hour now. It was clear that the girl was just as anxious to see the results of the reformation program as Aelita.

Finally, the program completed its test scan, displaying a green plus sign as it shut itself off automatically. Aelita burst into a wide, unconfined grin, and looked over her shoulder just in time to catch Katja's delighted gaze.

"It works?" the girl asked hastily, her words slurred together by the speed of the question. "Can we bring her back now? Please?"

"Not yet," Aelita replied, turning back to the computer. She heard the elevator door open, and noted Kokoro as the other ninth-grader entered the room. "The test I just ran was successful, but before I implement the real reformation program I want to check it once more for bugs and errors. Give me two days, max, and we will have Yumi back. I promise."

"Why can't we bring her home now?"

"I still need to make a couple of tweaks to the program based on the information returned to me by this one final test," Aelita said, beginning to type on her keyboard. "Though asking you to be patient makes me a hypocrite, I have to ask that you are. We'll have her home soon. I won't sleep until we do."

"We've waited months to see Mom again, we'll wait an extra eight hours so you can sleep, Aelita," Kokoro said, rolling her eyes as she headed back to the elevator. "If you become tired, sleep . . ."

"You don't get enough sleep as it is," Katja added, reaching out to give Aelita a quick one-armed hug. "We'll be patient. It's good enough to know that Mom is definitely coming home soon - for now anyway." As Katja headed to the elevator, which Kokoro was holding open for her, she called back to add "We're going to go make lunch now. When we call for you, join us in the lounge."

"Will do," Aelita replied, not looking away from the computer screen. She was so close . . .

Time elapsed, though Aelita wasn't able to guess how much before the beeping began. For a moment she remained still, bewildered, before the obvious struck her painfully in the chest: A tower had been activated on Diitto! Xana was attacking!

"Everyone to the computer room!" Aelita said hastily into her microphone, projecting her voice throughout the bunker. She minimized Yumi's reformation program and brought up the windows necessary to learn all that she needed to about Xana's latest attack. The activated tower was in the ocean sector. It was in the northeastern area, located at the center of a maze of coral. According to the supercomputer, the activated tower was not guarded . . .

The elevator doors opened, and Katja, Kokoro, Valentina, Matthias, Waldo, and Ulrich spilled into the room. Aelita hurried to explain the situation to them.

"The activated tower is in the ocean region. It doesn't appear to be guarded – in fact, I can't see any monsters on the map at all," Aelita said as she scrolled across the map now covering her monitor with her fingers.

"Are you sure Xana is even attacking?" Ulrich asked. "Can he activate a tower given these conditions?"

"Apparently," Matthias said, folding his arms across his chest. "Send us to Diitto, Mrs. Belpois! If there really aren't any monsters on Diitto, then deactivating the activated tower will be a piece of cake."

"It won't be that easy . . ." grumbled Kokoro. "It never is."

"You know, the time we spend standing here is time that Xana could spend generating monsters or using the tower's energy in some other way," Matthias said, tossing Kokoro a cold stare. "So let's go while it's still easy, shall we?"

"Kids, we'll be going to Diitto, there's no doubt about it," Ulrich said firmly, doing his best to diffuse the tension between Matthias and his daughter. He then met Aelita's gaze as she turned to face him. "I'd like to go with the first group, if you don't mind," he said.

"Of course," Aelita said, bringing up the virtualization program. "Waldo, go with him. You'll need to deactivate the tower. And-"

"I'll go," said Matthias, Kokoro, and Katja in unison. The three kids immediately caught one another's gazes, eyes narrowed in varied levels of coldness and determination.

"Valentina, you go with them," Aelita said, making the decision for the kids and bracing herself for the inevitable bickering that would follow it. As Valentina, eyes wide with bewilderment, (chances are she didn't fully understand what was even happening – Aelita knew that when she and the other spoke quickly, and they tended to do when dealing with Xana-related issues, she had a more difficult time understanding their French), meekly followed Waldo and Ulrich through the elevator and into the scanner room, Matthias and Kokoro began to protest as Katja folded her arms across her chest and did her best to suppress her disappointment.

"But, Aelita, I-"

"I said that I wanted to go!"

"I may send you both in a moment if you be quiet," Aelita said quickly. She hated being a mean, bossy parent, but it was sometimes necessary. Seeing that Ulrich, Valentina, and Waldo had positioned themselves in the three scanners, she began the virtualization process.

"Transfer Waldo, transfer Ulrich, transfer Valentina. Scanner Waldo, scanner Ulrich, scanner Valentina," said Aelita, watching as their user cards flashed across her screen, as they began to be absorbed into the supercomputer. "Virtualization!"

For a moment, Aelita waited in silence, only able to hear the sound of her own heart beating frantically until the lines signifying the voice recognition of Ulrich, Valentina, and Waldo began to wobble slightly in the corner of her screen. She took off her headset and made it so that anyone in the computer room could hear and communicate with those on Diitto, and that in turn anyone on Diitto could communicate with anyone in the computer room.

"We're here, and all in one piece," Ulrich said. "Where did we land in relation to the tower?"

Aelita hastily sought out Ulrich's location, and then noted that the others were standing beside him. "You three are directly west of the activated tower. You'll have to go down a long pathway, and then enter the coral maze."

"Can you send us some vehicles?" Ulrich asked.

"Uh . . . do I have to use a vehicle?" Valentina asked meekly.

"I can send some vehicles," Aelita said, opening the vehicle materialization program. "And Valentina, because of the way the ocean sector is designed, it's probably better if you use a vehicle, or at least ride with someone else, when traveling. There are many places were the digital sea is directly exposed, and the paths are narrow and twist."

As she spoke, Aelita watched as a new window popped onto her screen: Waldo had started a visual with the supercomputer, allowing her to see what he saw in the ocean region. The dark overcast that came synchronously with one of the tower's being activated by Xana overlaid the blue-tinted region, but not enough that the detail of the bright turquoise pathways or the strands of seaweed in various hues were easily overlooked. As Waldo turned to face Ulrich and Valentina, standing behind him, Aelita caught a glimpse of a bed of vibrant orange coral in the distance.

"I'll send the aerowing and the aerobike-" Aelita said a moment later, flinching slightly as Matthias scoffed "_Hey, that's mine"_' as she began to type on her keyboard. "-Ulrich, the aerobike is based on your old overbike, so you should find it easy enough to drive."

"Valentina, would you be more comfortable riding with Waldo?" asked Ulrich. "He doesn't have a means of attack while on his aerowing."

Aelita hit the return key on her keyboard, and watched as the aerowing and aerobike materialized on the path before Waldo and the others. Waldo hurried onto his platform of his vehicle and glanced over his shoulder and downward to ensure that Valentina had followed. She was crouched, wolf-like, gripping the vehicle with her claws. Waldo then began to drive the areowing after Ulrich, who had begun to speed along the pathway on Matthias's aerobike. It appeared to be a comfortable enough ride for him, since Matthias was such a tall kid.

Noticing that Matthias, Kokoro, and Katja had begun to crowd around her, Aelita quickly made it so that the other monitor displayed a window with Waldo's POV. Taking the hint, Kokoro and Katja moved away, allowing Aelita a little elbow room, while Matthias kept his dark eyes glued to the screen before him, even as Aelita switched onto the map to scout for those on Diitto.

"You have company," she said, unable to mask the disappointment in her voice. It would have been so nice if those on Diitto had been able to make it to the tower without incident . . . but as Kokoro had put it, it was _never_ that easy. "There are three . . . unidentifiable monsters blocking the entrance into the coral maze."

"Unidentifiable?" came Ulrich's voice from the supercomputer as Katja muttered the same word.

Waldo jerked his aerowing so that he began to fly closer to the ground. It practically skimmed the top level off the turquoise pathway as he zoomed along it. A few heartbeats later, his voice echoed through the room. "It's the Hapaskys!"

A few more moments, and Waldo caught sight of the three Hapaskys that donned Egyptian-style clothing on Diitto. Wherever he was, Xana had the power to virtualize at least three of his minions into their supercomputer - possibly at once.

"So, to get to the tower, we need to make it past Nikolai, Uliya, and Maria?" Waldo said, using a tone that hinted a question.

"You have to get into the coral maze, and the only other entrance is on the opposite side," Aelita replied.

"Be careful," Matthias added. "Uliya can summon cats to attack you, but they are directly tied to her own life points. And if the other one – Maria – touches you, she burns you. That'll hurt . . ."

Glancing sideways, Aelita watched as Matthias began to gently rub one of the horrible burns on the side of his arm. She then turned back to the screen and fixed her gaze on Waldo's POV.

Ulrich sped ahead of Waldo and Valentina. He aimed for the male Hapasky – Nikolai – drawing one of his swords and holding it out at his side. But before he could pass the boy, he disappeared into a cloud of black and brown smoke, which began to snake along the ground in Waldo's direction.

"Put me down where I can be useful," said Valentina tersely, ungracefully toppling off the side of the areowing. When she regained her balance, she narrowly missed a ball of electricity from one of the girls by jumping out of the way, and then shouted "Ice ray!" to try and strike back, but her aim was wildly off and she immediately had to end the attack to avoid being hit.

"You should send us now, Aelita!" Kokoro insisted. "Even if they don't need us, by the time we are able to get there they might!"

"Okay, all three of you head to the scanners," Aelita said, bringing up the virtualization program once more. "Waldo, Valentina, Ulrich – I'm sending you back-up."

"Great-"

Ulrich's reply was cut short. He'd jumped off his vehicle, leaving it abandoned, and engaged in his 'supersprint' ability to get close enough to the older Hapasky with the less decorated costume. According to the supercomputer, he'd landed one good strike, but she'd done the same, and was presently backing away as she shouted "_Kot attackoi!_" As Uliya raised her arms, two giant, panther-like black cats seemed to materialize from the empty space beside her. The pair of them locked onto Ulrich.

When Waldo turned, Aelita's focus was lost. She realized that the kids who had been left behind in the bunker were now ready to be virtualized and initiated the transfer.

"Transfer Matthias, transfer Katja, transfer Kokoro. Scanner Matthias, scanner Katja, scanner Kokoro. Virtualization!"

Right as the virtualization was completed, Aelita got an alert from the supercomputer, and then gasped as she saw that Ulrich had been de-virtualized. Feeling flustered and at a loss for time, she hastily switched her attention back to the ones she had just virtualized to orient them. Their location bright the faintest smile to her face. They had landed within the coral maze, and judging by their map movements they had somehow already oriented themselves and were attempting to locate the entrance where Waldo and Valentina were presently fighting for their life points.

From Waldo's POV, Aelita then watched as her son ditched his aerowing and landed, hard, on the ground. He gripped it with his palms, and looked up to watch as the ground beneath Uliya's cats, which had been slowly stalking him, began to retreat and vanish. Not quite intelligent enough to leap to safety, the pair of them fell, disappearing into the virtual sea instantly. Uliya was de-virtualized along with them, spewing a string of curses in Russian.

Waldo then was hit by what seemed to be a bulky golden bead. Aelita wanted to shout at him to move, say that by using his Originality he left himself too exposed, but thankfully the same thoughts seemed to flash through her son's mind. He made a dash for the coral maze, then glanced back to see where Valentina was in relation to him. Nikolai had advanced upon her after losing interest in Waldo, and every few moments he materialized a large golden orb-like thing and shot it in the American's direction.

"The others are already in the coral maze. See if you can make it to them," Aelita urged Waldo and Valentina.

"I will provide a distraction," Valentina said, not looking at Waldo as she spoke even though he glanced her way to listen. Valentina charged Nikolai, firing a beam of ice in his direction. She scraped his arm, but that didn't prevent him from landing a hit with one of his golden orbs. Valentina flinched as she rolled backward, but she quickly stabilized herself with her claws.

The elevator door opened and closed. "Hey, what happened?" Aelita asked Ulrich as she saw him take a seat in the empty chair facing the second monitor.

"I don't know . . ." Ulrich groaned, rubbing his head.

Aelita turned back to the supercomputer, and did her best to scan all the things that needed her attention at the moment: Waldo was running for the coral maze, Valentina was facing off against Nikolai and Maria, and Kokoro, Katja, and Matthias were running through the coral maze. She began to type.

"Waldo, Valentina, I am going to take the aerowing and the aerobike and teleport them into the coral maze for Matthias, Kokoro, and Katja to use. It'll take less time than sending more vehicles-"

As Aelita spoke, she watched as Valentina was de-virtualized. Waldo was left alone as she faded into a thousand tiny white panels, throwing him an apologetic glance. The boy then began to speed into the coral maze by foot, having abandoned his vehicle long ago.

"Valentina was just de-virtualized . . ." Aelita narrated for those in the coral maze.

"What about Waldo?" Katja asked.

"He's running. Have the vehicles come yet? Get on, and fly to him!"

"Mom, they're right behind me!" came Waldo's voice, somewhat panicked. "I can't outrun them!"

"You're in a maze, see if you can avoid them," Ulrich urged. Aelita blinked at Ulrich in disbelief for a moment, and then turned back to the screen. She watched, pained that she was unable to do anything to help, as Waldo decided it was a better use of his energy to drop to the ground and activate his Originality. All around him, the coral began to shimmer, and then, blocking the path between him and the Hapaskys, it grew. Waldo then slowly stood and glanced at his work. The huge corals, too large to climb over easily, had successfully saved him for the moment.

"How many life points do I have, and what direction should I be going?" Waldo asked, sounding winded after exerting his Diitto ability.

"You have seventy life points, and you need to head east," replied Aelita, a clump of the nervousness in her chest disappearing upon her son's words. "I'll do my best to guide-"

Aelita froze mid-sentence. She watched as, according to the supercomputer, three new monsters appeared on Diitto. They landed in the coral maze, less than a few meters away from Waldo. She barely had the chance to glance at his POV screen to see what happened next: The three new Hapaskys, the two girls dressed as Native Americans and boy dressed in dark clothing, all aimed lightning balls at Waldo. They hit; he was de-virtualized instantly.

"No!" Aelita gasped as Ulrich swore. The elevator door opened, and Valentina, who always seemed to take a bit longer than everyone else to recover from a forced de-virtualization, wandered into the room holding her head.

"Waldo was just de-virtualized," Ulrich told the girl.

Aelita stood, then slowly headed across the room. "I'll be going to Diitto now, then. Ulrich, can you send me?"

"Err . . . can Waldo send you in a minute?" Ulrich asked, nonetheless tentatively beginning to type on his keyboard.

As Aelita crossed through the elevator, she heard Ulrich begin to explain to those still on Diitto what had just happened and how she was on her way. In the scanner room, she passed Waldo on his way into the elevator. Aelita's primary instinct was to comfort her son, to check that he was okay, but as he passed her without a second glance, already focused upon the task at hand (sending her to Diitto in his place), Aelita forced herself to do the same. She centered herself within the nearest scanner and then closed her eyes. The seconds ticked by. Aelita stole the time for herself, a few precious moments where she was unable to do anything but stand and wait . . .

The scanner's doors closed. "Transfer Aelita. Scanner Aelita. Virtualization!" came Waldo's voice, as Aelita felt herself melt into the digital world.

When Aelita's sight returned, she caught herself before falling atop the turquoise pathway below. She summoned her wings, and then propelled herself into the air, not bothering to wait for Waldo or Ulrich to orient her. Once she was high enough in the air, she would be able to determine her present location and what direction she needed to go.

"Mom, you need to head due north," Waldo said after a moment.

"Okay, I will. How are the kids in the maze doing?" Aelita asked as she began to fly north.

"They have found the Hapaskys and are engaging them. It doesn't look as if there are any mechanical monsters around. Only the Russians."

"Okay, keep me posted," Aelita said.

Aelita traveled in silence for a few moments, then she heard Ulrich speak. "The three Hapaskys that came second are gone now. Katja took out two of them and still has all of her life points. Matthias got the ninja boy."

"Great!" Aelita said. "I'm coming up on the coral maze now."

"Look out; the two Hapaskys that Waldo blocked off earlier went straight for the tower. They'll meet you there. Kokoro, Katja, and Matthias are going to try and get there before you do to clear the path."

"Right."

Aelita continued to fly. In the background she heard whispers – someone, most likely Valentina, was talking out of range of the microphone. Ulrich then told her to "Go and check" and then seemed to realize that he had, inadvertently, spoken into his microphone.

The tower came into view. Aelita was high enough above the ground to fly directly over the massive, multicolored corals that made up the maze. From her vantage point, she saw the two Hapaskys below – they were waiting for her to get close enough to shoot at. Matthias, Kokoro, and Katja were also on their way: they were hovering over the edge of the corals on the aerobike and aerowing.

"Don't get too close, Aelita!" called Kokoro as Katja dropped her off at the edge of the tower's clearing in the center of the maze. "We'll take care of them first!"

"Guys, there are two more materializing-"

As Waldo spoke, Aelita watched as two new figures joined the ones that had been waiting for the Diitto warriors at the tower. The two newcomers were dressed in a somewhat archaic Arabian manner, loose sandy brown pants, white chest plates, adorned with braces on their lower arms and hands. The larger of the two – Alexander – had a pair of sheathes at his side.

"I find it infinitely amusing that they aren't bothering with the face masks anymore," Kokoro said, spinning around to launch her fan in Ivan's and Alexander's direction. They dodged. Alexander drew his blades, thick, flat daggers, and charged her. Ivan hesitated, but then did the same, his fists beginning to glow with black and white light. Meanwhile, Matthias had begun to slash at the others with his sword-

"_Franz is awake!"_

Aelita felt her stomach flip at Valentina's words. From their distance, it sounded as if she had shouted into the computer room from the elevator. For a moment, Aelita truly felt as if she was lighter than air. Her son was awake!

"Let's take care of this so we can go back!" Katja said. "Blur!"

Aelita watched as Katja seemed to activate an overdrive. She spun off to attack Alexander, though didn't make the killing slash she intended to and ended up in a two-sword fight with him. Meanwhile, Kokoro muttered "I second that motion – tell Franz I'll see him when I wake up again" as she locked the black bracelets on her arms. Before Aelita's eyes, Kokoro morphed into a black and red dragon. Matthias then managed to de-virtualize Nikolai. Unfortunately, Maria hit him soon after, and he de-virtualized.

"Mom, I think you can make it now!" Waldo urged. "Go deactivate the tower!"

Aelita didn't need to be asked twice. She folded her wings and began to dive to the base of the tower, gathering a dangerous amount of speed as she descended. In both hands, she summoned energy fields, and, as expected, when the two of the three remaining Hapaskys suddenly turned on her she used them to deflect their electric blasts. While they were distracted, Kokoro hit them with fireballs. They were de-virtualized instantly.

Landing, Aelita glanced back just in time to see Katja land a hit on Alexander, as he began to fade into a thousand white panels. A smug feeling grew within her as she entered the tower, as she made her way to the interface atop it. Calmly, Aelita placed her right hand atop the glowing screen.

AELITA

CODE: DIITTO

As the screens surrounding her in the tower grew blank and fell, Aelita felt herself, for the first time in a very long time, relax. She and the others had just taken on – and defeated – all eight of the Hapaskys, Franz had woken up, and Yumi's reformation program was essentially ready. The abundance of good things seemed to make the fact that they were stuck in time a bit less of a problem.

For the moment, anyway.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I hope to have the next section up soon. However, I will say this about it – it'll be long (I think) and quite climatic. So, if I take a bit, it's because I'm working hard on it. I think it'll flow naturally, since I've sort of had the section in my head since the start of the story, but – well, you'll just have to wait and see for yourselves now won't you? ;)


	50. Part 9, Section 4: Katja

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Nine:**

**Frozen in Time**

* * *

**Author's Note: **I made a mistake – the next section is the one that has been running through my head since almost the start of the story. However, this section is equally good (in my opinion). I hope you enjoy it – and if you do, why not tell me what you think at the end? ;) Anyone see this coming?

* * *

**Katja (Section 9.4)**

Franz was awake. When Katja had first heard the news, she had been ecstatic, and the feeling of pure happiness that had surged through her veins was almost indescribable. She had done her best to ensure that she and the others could go back to Earth from Diitto as soon as possible to the point where she had been praised for her efforts. Katja had been a tad embarrassed by that, not really seeing a need for the attention. Her abilities on Diitto were simply advantageous to the abilities of all the Hapaskys. They were all fairly slow (aside from Vladimir, the ninja) except when they morphed into pillars of blackish smoke. That had made it easy for Katja to sneak up on several of them and ruthlessly slash at their insides with a killing blow to ensure that she managed to de-virtualize them in a single hit.

But Katja's bliss had quickly evaporated when she had stepped out of the scanner. For starters, Franz had fallen asleep again, and Katja had been quite dejected that she hadn't been able to see him while he was conscious. She had retreated to the lounge, at the time empty save for Kokoro, when Franz's family (and Matthias, once again acting beneath his dad) had crowded around him. To occupy herself, Katja had kept an eye on Kokoro, who always passed out for a few hours after activating dragon's dance. She microwaved some noodles for her lunch after remembering that she was yet to eat – Kokoro and she had not gotten very far with making lunch earlier before Xana attacked.

The elevator startled Katja when it returned to the lowest floor of the bunker. Valentina got off, and smiled at her. She was also, clearly, happy that Franz had woken up, and had been sitting in the computer room watching Ulrich try and teach himself how to run basic programs in case he ever had to launch them. Katja had passed on the fantastic opportunity to watch her father curse at a computer for solitude.

"Matthias came down a moment ago. You are needed upstairs. Nancy also woke up!"

Katja merely cocked her head a bit. She was thrilled to hear than Nancy had woken, but she was also a tad disappointed. Katja wanted to see for herself that _Franz_ was okay . . .

"Okay, I'll head upstairs," Katja said, getting up from her position on the floor and heading to the elevator. "Will you stay with Kokoro?" she asked Valentina.

"Sure," replied the blonde, going to sit in an empty chair.

Katja entered the elevator combination in the keypad and sent herself to the top floor of the bunker. She had no idea why she would have been requested – Nancy liked her, yes, but did that warrant a special request? Nonetheless, Katja would do whatever was needed of her to help the sweet sixth-grader; in the process, she might steal a few words with Franz if he was awake again . . .

Emerging from the elevator, Katja moved gingerly around to the room to the makeshift infirmary. Waldo and Aelita were seated on either side of Franz, who seemed to be muttering softly. Matthias was standing a few feet away from them, but as soon as he saw Katja he hurried to her and began to whisper. As he did so, Katja's eyes found Nancy. The girl was awake, her eyes glued to the ceiling in an unfocused way.

"Hey, will you talk to Nancy for a little while?" Matthias asked. "She's . . . a bit confused. And when I asked what of the attack she remembered . . . I your name, Katja, and that was all. She's really confused . . ." Matthias trailed again, though this time he was not at a loss for words. His pause was out of concern for his little sister. "I think she might have amnesia."

"Oh," Katja said, her stomach tightening a bit. Amnesia wasn't too bad, right? Memories sometimes took a bit to return to a person after they fell out a second story hole in the wall, yes?

She moved away from Matthias, away from Franz and his family, and crouched at Nancy's side. The girl's dark eyes flickered briefly in her direction, then once again locked with the ceiling. "Hi, Katja," she whispered softly, her voice weak.

"Hi, Nancy," replied Katja, giving the girl a quick glance-over with her eyes. She was still covered in bandages, her broken arm bound to her chest with a sling, and covered partially in her blanket. But somehow, that she was awake made her look that much stronger, seem that much more alive. Though the hardness in her eyes was unfamiliar to Katja . . . she rarely saw such a look in Nancy's eyes.

"I don't remember anything," Nancy said bluntly. "Well, that's not entirely true," she added a moment later, catching a glimpse of Katja's startled expression. "I know where we are, for example. I can name the people over there and say that I know them. I – I know all about Diitto."

"Do you remember how you ended up in a coma?" Katja asked.

At that question, Nancy slowly shook her head from side to side. "No, I don't," she replied. "I couldn't tell you anything off the top of my head about it. I think . . . I think the only reason I know the things I do is because I'm presently in the Diitto bunker." Nancy paused, then finally turned to meet Katja's concerned gaze. "How did I end up in a coma?" she asked.

"You were attacked by one of the Hapaskys – Svetlana I think. She knocked you and Franz out a hole in the second floor of your dormitory," Katja replied bluntly. Normally she would have tried to soften her words, but the energy surrounding Nancy hinted that the girl didn't need to have reality softened. There was something different about the Nancy that had woken up than the Nancy that Katja used to know . . .

Nancy closed her eyes and sighed. "I hurt . . ." she admitted, almost as if intentionally changing the subject. "Matthias says that I can maybe get up and walk around soon. He'll get me crutches."

"We have some somewhere," Katja replied. "We got them from the hospital already."

Slowly, Nancy moved her head, allowing her gaze to fall upon the others, some five feet away and whispering softly to one another. Katja couldn't make out the topic of conversation. "I wish I could remember more," the redheaded girl admitted after a moment. "It's scary to think that all I have are names for most of you."

"Most of us?"

"Well, I remember you. And my brother," Nancy said simply. "But even though I can say that, I still feel as if I . . . well, can't remember anything. And I feel like this is going to be a problem . . ."

Katja wasn't sure how to respond to Nancy's last comment. Amnesia did tend to be a problem. In regards to how the young girl claimed to remember her just as well as her own brother, the person she had been exposed to the most of those in the bunker presently, she was both flattered and bewildered. Katja could not recall having made _that_ much of an impact on Nancy. What did the fact that she had mean?

Nancy yawned, then flinched, as if the act was painful. "I think I want to sleep now," the girl whispered to Katja. "Maybe when I wake up I'll be able to move around . . . if Matthias will let me . . ."

"Perhaps," Katja remarked. "I'll see you later, then." She reached out and patted Nancy's exposed hand, smiling as the girl grinned slightly at her touch. Then, Katja stood from her squatting position and began to back away from the makeshift infirmary. She glanced at Franz as she passed. For the slightest second, he met her gaze, and offered her the faintest of smiles, though for Katja such a bare acknowledgement of existence was hardly enough. She hastily turned away and beckoned the elevator to admit her.

Though Katja failed to retain the medical reasoning behind Franz and Nancy's recovery, she was happy to see them both moving (if not slowly and painfully) around the bunker the next day. Franz was recovering heaps faster than Nancy, whom Matthias and Ulrich had taken to carrying from room to room when she needed to be moved. She could sit up on her own and hold a conversation, though the fact that she was still heavily bandaged was striking. And Nancy asked the bluntest, most obvious of questions due to her amnesia, which Katja was more than happy to answer – though at the same time as she did so she couldn't help but wonder just how badly the girl's memory had been damaged.

Though Franz had a broken leg, he was well enough to move around the bunker with a pair of crutches. "I can do it myself!" became his new catchphrase whenever someone would hurry to assist him with calling the elevator or if someone moved to get something for him before he could do so himself. But, aside from a bit of wounded pride, Franz seemed perfectly okay mentally. He could remember everything that had happened to him prior to being thrown out a hole in the wall on the second floor of his old dormitory, and was quite eager to engage the others in conversation when he wasn't pestering Waldo for a chance at the return to the past program (which he was positive that he could fix if given enough time).

However, Katja was not at all happy with the amount of time she was allowed to talk to Franz. He spent a lot of his time around Waldo, (who flatly refused to let his brother have the return to the past program so that he could recover without the stress of it) and Matthias spent a lot of time around Franz arguing with himself about whether or not Franz and Nancy were recovered (almost as if trying to convince William to stop spontaneously possessing him in order to care for the two). And . . . where Matthias went, Valentina usually followed. Whenever Katja noticed Franz and Valentina talking, she had to call upon a wealth of self-restraint to keep from punching the nearest wall or person.

Aelita delayed the completion of Yumi's reformation program for almost three days to ensure that Franz and Nancy were doing okay. Katja didn't mind – she understood that Aelita had wanted to spend some time with her son, and after the woman had devoted ample time to that cause she resumed her usual sleepless work regime. On what would have been Sunday morning had Waldo not frozen time, Aelita emerged from isolation in the computer room to inform everyone that Yumi's reformation program was complete. She and Ulrich made plans to head to the Stern's house and retrieve some essentials for Yumi – nobody had any idea of the condition that she would be in when she returned and it would be best to have a clean change of clothes and toiletries on hand for her when she was brought back. The adults left right after lunch that day.

Katja and the others were left in the lounge with explicit directions from Ulrich not to blow anything up. Franz jokingly argued with his uncle as he disappeared into the elevator about how Ulrich had ruined his entire afternoon. Though Katja found Franz's cheek amusing, she kept herself from laughing because Valentina didn't keep her own chuckles to herself.

Almost immediately the beeping began.

"Not now!" Kokoro groaned, moving over to the nearest computer mounted on the wall. She began to tap the screen. "Xana . . ."

For a moment, nobody moved. "Should I go look for your parents?" Matthias asked after a moment. "They couldn't have gotten that far . . ."

"No . . . by the looks of things, we'll need you here now," Kokoro explained. Katja watched as she did something to the map on the screen, then stood aside to show the others. From what she could see, the savanna region was peppered in little reddish dots.

"Are those monsters?" Valentina asked.

"I hope not," Matthias groaned.

"We need to get upstairs," groaned Franz, standing and beginning to crutch over to the elevator. Katja stood at the same time as Valentina Waldo, and Matthias, cast a quick glance in Nancy's direction just in time to see her brother pick her up in his arms, and then followed everyone else into the elevator. The ride up to the computer room was silent.

"Nancy, want to go with the first group to Diitto?" Matthias asked as the doors began to open.

"I don't have _that_ much amnesia," retorted Nancy stiffly.

Franz crutched over to the nearest computer monitor and sat down as Matthias carried Nancy over to the second. He began to furiously type on his keyboard, eyes glued to his screen.

"The activated tower is in the savanna sector . . . I think. I can't actually get a location for it yet . . . Nancy, I'll send the scan to your monitor so you can keep an eye on it. There might just be a bug in the system to slow the scan down or something."

"Is there even an activated tower?" Katja asked, finding Franz's mumbling confusing.

"There should be," Franz said. "I just haven't located it yet. There are certainly enough monsters in the savanna region to warrant an activated tower . . ."

Katja folded her arms across her chest, narrowing her eyes slightly in Franz's direction. Why would there be monsters on Diitto if there wasn't an activated tower . . . ? The mere thought sent a shiver along her spine, which she was thankful that nobody else seemed to notice.

"Nancy, can you even use the computer with your arm . . . ?" Franz asked after a moment, glancing at Nancy from his seat.

"Yes, I'll be able to monitor maps and stuff, though activating any programs might take twice as long as normal because I'm working with only one hand."

"Okay, then I'll send three people, vehicles, and then set up everything you think you'll need for you before sending myself with the remaining two people."

"You're going to Diitto?" Kokoro said, seemingly alarmed.

"On Diitto I'll be as if I never fell," Franz replied. The supercomputer scans you every time you are virtualized, and you are always sent to Diitto in the condition of your best scan. I'm looking forward to a few minutes where my leg doesn't feel both numb and in pain, actually."

"Just do not overexert yourself," Valentina said, seemingly concerned for Franz's welfare. Katja's chest clinched.

"Hehe, I'll be fine," Franz mused, glancing at Valentina. Katja was happy that she didn't get to see the expression on his face – it probably would have sickened her. To keep herself from hitting the wall, she headed to the elevator and into the scanner room, not caring whether or not Franz had intended to send her with the first three people. She stepped into the nearest scanner.

"Hey, it's time to be serious," Kokoro said a moment later after following her sister into the room. Waldo trailed her, and he seemed a bit baffled by Kokoro's words, though aside from the funny look on his face he did not question them. "The drama can wait," Kokoro then added, speaking in Japanese instead of French that time to emphasize her words. As the scanner doors closed around her, Katja amused herself with thoughts of how confused Waldo likely was at the moment; they were a welcomed distraction to the fact that Kokoro had noticed her misery over the past few days, which meant that it was probably blatantly obvious to anyone who wasn't an idiot . . .

"Transfer Kokoro, transfer Katja, transfer Waldo," echoed Franz's voice through the scanner. Katja both loved the sound and was bothered by its very existence. "Scanner Kokoro, scanner Katja, scanner Waldo. Virtualization!"

Katja arrived on Diitto, and landed smoothly, barely needing to think about catching herself anymore as she dropped to the ground. Immediately, she pushed aside her gloom, forcing a sort of seriousness upon herself as she scanned her surroundings. For as far as she could see (which, granted, wasn't very far since she, Kokoro, and Waldo had landed in a bowl in the ground) there was nothing out of the ordinary save for a dark overcast, indicating that Xana's monsters were present in the sector. Crossing her arms, Katja reached up and removed her twin j-swords from the tips of her wings. She brought them to her side, then tilted her head ever so slightly. On Diitto, it was acceptable for her to take out her anger by slashing things – to feel superior, however briefly, because of the speed advantage granted to her by _blur_ when in a fight. She wanted some monsters to destroy.

"Where are we headed, Franz?" Katja asked, her voice emotionless as she waited for a command.

Silence.

"Franz?" Kokoro echoed.

"Guys, we're surrounded," Waldo said quickly, dropping to the ground and slowly moving one of his hands back and forth as if trying to better understand the pulsations as they came to him. "Hornets, I think. Lots and lots of hornets . . ."

"Hey, guys, you're surrounded, so be careful," came Franz's voice a half a second later. "I'm going to send myself, Valentina, and Matthias now. Nancy will orient both groups after the scan settles on the location of the activated tower."

"Any vehicles?" Kokoro asked bluntly. When she did not receive an immediate response, she added, "Nancy, did he run away already, however slowly he's moving these days?"

"I have the vehicle launching program partially set up in front of me. I can send you your vehicles if you want them. And yes, Franz left already."

"Jerk," muttered Katja under her breath.

"I don't think you should send us our vehicles yet," Waldo said quickly. "There are too many hornets around us . . . chances are at least one of us will be de-virtualized before we can take care of them all." As he spoke, Waldo did his best to avoid Katja's and Kokoro's gaze. If there really was an activated tower somewhere, he needed to be around long enough to deactivate it, which meant that the twins needed to sacrifice themselves for him if need be.

"How many hornets are we talking about?" Kokoro asked. "I hate those things."

"Uh . . . maybe fifteen or twenty . . ."

As Waldo spoke, the hornets appeared. As they began to swarm the dip in the ground, the noise they generated began to overwhelm Katja. She flinched, then quickly regained her focus. The task at hand was not a difficult one. She simply had to focus on one insect at a time, dodge one laser at a time.

"Blur," the girl whispered.

She struck the nearest hornet, destroying it instantly. The second monster she did not land a hit on, instead choosing to dodge a laser and save her life points. But she attacked and destroyed it a moment later.

"Three. Four. Five."

Katja began to count her kills, barely aware of the fact that the hornets seemed to be multiplying before her eyes. Where they were all coming from, Katja didn't know. She focused only on her immediate surroundings – the hornet slated for eminent destruction and the lasers that were aimed at her. One hit, sending Katja into a controlled rage. She took out three hornets in a single leap in revenge for the loss of her precious life points.

Then, suddenly, Katja noticed something large out of the corner of her eye. Turning, she watched as a great black and red dragon rose into the air. Meeting the dragon's gaze, she bolted, running to Waldo's side. He had already begun to clear the path before Kokoro, and the two of them watched as she covered the entire area in fireballs. The hornets began to be destroyed in spades.

"Why did she activate dragon's dance?" Katja asked, well aware of the fact that Kokoro disliked using that special program of hers.

Waldo gave Katja a confused look. "She was down to only one hit left. I'm the same way." He paused. "How were you doing so well?" he asked, though the way he phrased the question it seemed to be more rhetorical than begging of an actual answer, thankfully. Katja was not sure she wanted to mess around with an appropriate response.

Kokoro took out the last of the hornets before landing on the ground. Less than a second later, she returned to her true form in a flash of panels, and almost immediately afterwards began to disappear into a flurry of the tiny white items as she was automatically de-virtualized.

"We just lost Kokoro . . ." Waldo muttered. "Hey, Nancy, where are the others in relation to us?" he then asked, more sure of his words.

"And where is the activated tower?" Katja added.

"Uh . . . the supercomputer is still looking for that. However, the others are relatively close by you two. I oriented them a moment ago. Head southwest and you should see them soon."

Katja turned the appropriate direction, and then began to run, making a point to move slow enough for Waldo to keep up with her. A few moments later she saw Franz, Matthias, and Valentina appear over the edge of a hill. The two small groups met at the base.

"Hey, where's Kokoro?" Franz asked, glancing around as if expecting the older girl to appear suddenly. As he had said earlier, the supercomputer had virtualized him in a condition more fitting to running around a virtual world. He was standing effortlessly, holding his recurve in both hands.

"She was de-virtualized via dragon's dance," Katja replied stiffly. "So she's probably slumped down in one of the scanners right now. Did you happen to see the activated tower on your way here?" Katja then added, perfectly at peace with snapping at Franz.

As expected, he caught her tongue, and twisted her bait. Eyes narrowed, Franz met Katja's cold gaze. "Chill out, will you? Nancy, has the scan finished yet?"

"Uh . . . it just did," replied Nancy before Katja had the chance to retort that Franz did not have the authority to tell her what to do.

"And?" Matthias asked.

"It did not find an activated tower," Nancy's voice informed everyone on Diitto.

"What? That's impossible," Franz declared. "The superscan went off and indicated an activated tower – there has to be an activated tower somewhere on Diitto! And since the sky is darkened here . . ."

"You were wrong, Franz, just admit it," Katja grumbled. "The sky is just dark because there are swarms of hornets everywhere."

Again, Franz met the girl's gaze. She gladly stared back, her expression mirroring every ounce of hatred she had for the boy at the moment. "Hey, don't shoot the messenger. I just read some stuff off the monitor. The supercomputer thought – maybe even still thinks – that there is an activated tower somewhere. Just because the scanner won't hand us its direct location doesn't mean-"

"It means there's no activated tower. Absolutely nothing is wrong with the superscanner. You know this," Katja stressed. "You were wrong, and we all went here for nothing, and Kokoro is going to be complaining about a headache for the next day and was forcefully de-virtualized because you sent us to Diitto before making sure that the supercomputer had actually located said activated tower for us."

"You know, I don't remember you being this grouchy all the time," Franz said bitterly, still leering at Katja. "The past few days you've been really rude, you know. It makes it hard to be around you."

"It's hard for _you_ to be around _me_?" Katja asked, reaching up to sheathe her twin swords in the tips of her wings. She was oblivious to everything that surrounded her. Her rage, months of silence, was about to spill, and nothing was about to stop her from giving Franz what he deserved. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to be around _you_? Franz, every time I see you I don't know what to think! One day, you were my best friend – the next – gah!"

Katja found her throat close, her frustration dissolving into a shaky unease. Hastily, she turned away from Franz and whispered "Blur" to herself. In an instant, she was up the hill that she had been standing by, another heartbeat, two, and she was heading for a large canyon in the distance. It had a narrow entrance, and seemed to Katja as if it would be the perfect hiding place until the inevitable – when Nancy brought her back to Earth and she had to face the others, face Franz, once more.

Katja stopped suddenly once she had reached the base of the canyon and dropped to her knees. She stared blankly at the ground before her, and then choked back the beginning of a sob. Katja hated that she had gotten to such a fragile point . . . she hated being so weak, so out of tune with her surroundings, so emotional . . .

Movement, and Katja stood. She narrowed her eyes, instantly alert, and then slowly turned to face the newcomers. The three Hapaskys in Egyptian attire stood behind her.

"I could destroy you all in a span of ten seconds," Katja said stiffly.

"Easily, I'm sure," said the eldest Hapasky, Nikolai. "However, you will not receive the chance."

"Wh-?"

Katja turned, and watched as something large, floating, and faintly reminiscent of a jellyfish neared her. Before she had the chance to draw her swords and attack, its tentacles wrapped around her and lifted her off the ground.

At that point, Katja was lost.


	51. Part 9, Section 5: All

**Code Lyoko:**

**The Diitto Generation**

**Part Nine:**

**Frozen in Time**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Read the section and then check out the note I've left on the bottom, please. And yes, this section does finally exist. My writer's block might be gone.

* * *

**Section 9.5**

"You're an idiot, Franz."

Franz turned to face Valentina, raising an eyebrow at her words. "Why are _you_ mad at me now?" he asked stiffly.

"I am not mad at you, I just think that you handled that the wrong way," Valentina replied. She was sitting, wolf-like, on the ground, looking up at Franz. Her eyes were soft, tinged with sadness.

"What? How did I handle that the wrong way? I am not even sure that I know what happened; how can I have handled it the wrong way?"

"Because you're you," Matthias interrupted, glancing in the direction that Katja had run. "So, now that we know there aren't any activated towers, should we just go home? I think we managed to get all of the monsters. Did we, Nancy?"

"We should go check on Katja . . ." muttered Valentina.

"Nancy, where'd Katja run off to?" Franz asked.

"Eek, one thing at a time. I'm working with only one hand here . . ." squeaked Nancy, her voice echoing in the sky above Valentina, Franz, Waldo, and Matthias. "Well . . . Katja just stopped in a canyon not far from you, but . . ." Nancy's transmission ended with a word that none of the other kids had ever heard the sweet-tempered girl utter previously.

"Nancy, what's going on?" asked Franz.

"Uh, three, no, four new monsters appeared in the savanna sector. Right next to Katja and – GUYS, SHE'S BEING ATTACKED! Her life points are-"

"What direction, where do we go?" Valentina asked, as Matthias and Franz simply began running along the path that Katja had taken while activating the program _blur_. Waldo and Valentina quickly began to follow.

"I don't . . . I don't know what's going on," Nancy said a few seconds later as Matthias and Franz caught sight of the entrance to the canyon where Katja reportedly was. "The computer just told me that Katja lost all of her life points, but now it says she has all 100. I don't understand."

"Bring her in," ordered Franz. "Now. We'll see if we can-"

He was cut off. Katja had appeared at the entrance to the canyon, flanked by three of the Hapaskys: Maria, Uliya, and Nikolai. Immediately, everyone noticed the changes in their friend. Her face was stiff, her dark eyes emotionless, harsh even. Katja's gaze drifted over the others before she began to run a different direction. Instantly, the Hapaskys began to follow.

"I can't bring her in!" Nancy shrieked, sounding absolutely terrified. "Franz, Waldo, what do I do?"

"Keep trying!" Franz shouted back, beginning to chase after Katja. Matthias, Valentina, and Waldo weren't far behind him. The boy then fixed his gaze on Katja, who was slowly gaining distance as she continued to run. Matthias careened past him, being faster. Franz bit his lip in frustration.

"Waldo, can you use your Originality to stop her somehow?" Valentina asked.

Almost immediately after Valentina spoke, Katja whirled to a halt. So did the Hapaskys. The older girl summoned her cats in an instant, and they began to streak toward Waldo. Momentarily frozen in shock, he hastily dropped to the ground and tried to summon his Originality so that he could trap the giant cats. The savanna brush closest to them had barely begun to grow before the boy was hit with a golden orb, and began to dissolve into a display of tiny white squares. As soon as he was gone, Katja continued on her way again.

However, while Waldo had been de-virtualized, Matthias, Franz, and Valentina had acted. Franz lit an arrow on fire and then shot it at Nikolai mere seconds after he shot his golden orb at Waldo. Matthias then finished him off with his sword, maximizing the precious seconds he'd gained on the others while they'd paused to get close enough to strike. Valentina had done the same, sending an ice ray at the two cats that Uliya had summoned. She destroyed one instantly, and though took a hit from the second, used the close-range of her opponent to her advantage by scratching it to de-virtualization. That in turn de-virtualized Uliya, as she had lost all of her own life points through her pets.

The battle left only Maria to run with Katja, and run they did. Katja activated _blur_ while Maria transformed herself into a stream of black and bright red smoke.

"Where in the world are they going?" Matthias asked, beginning to charge after Katja and Maria, even though he had little chance of catching up to them on foot.

"No idea, but, Nancy, if-"

"I'm almost done!"

Within seconds, the aerobike and the aeroboard appeared before Franz and Matthias. They jumped aboard their respective vehicles, and Franz immediately began to speed after Katja, making his skateboard move dangerously fast. After mounting his bike, Matthias turned back to Valentina, who was standing frozen in place, and then held out his hand.

"Come with me; it's the only way we'll get there in time!"

Valentina hesitated. The thought of riding the aerobike as fast as Matthias intended to take it petrified her. Were the situation any different, she would not have moved an inch. But as ill as Valentina felt about riding the motorcycle, she felt even sicker about the possibility of not making it to Katja in time to stop her from doing whatever she planned to do.

_Because this is all my fault, in a way . . . isn't it . . . ?_

Valentina stood from her wolf crouch and then mounted the aerobike behind Matthias. For about half a second, she told herself not to hold onto Matthias any more than necessary during the ride. Now was not the time to do such a thing. Then Matthias began to speed after Katja, Maria, and Franz, and the terrifying rush sent Valentina into a state of shock. She tightened her loose grip around Matthias's middle and hid her face in the back of his costume, clinching her eyes closed against the terrain that she was racing past.

"Just don't choke me, okay?" Matthias said softly. That one like had been the softest utterance Valentina had ever heard him say.

Strangeness filled Valentina. She opened her eyes just a bit, determining by the shift of Matthias's hair that he'd glanced back at her a moment ago to speak. "Don't try and negotiate with me with me when my feet are not on the ground," she replied simply.

"Guys, I think I know where Katja is going-" Waldo's voice rang throughout the savanna sector. He must have made it back to the computer room from the scanner room. "-the closest waytower; there's one close by, and she's making a beeline for it."

"Why would she be going to a waytower?" Nancy asked. "Is she headed to the core for some reason?"

"I can't imagine why – she can't get into the systems . . . at least, I don't think she can. Anyway, Franz, Valentina, Matthias – you guys gotta go faster! If you guys can de-virtualize her, she should come back to the bunker. Right, Franz?"

"Right," Franz replied. "I don't know why she wouldn't."

Franz noticed the approaching waytower in the distance at the same time he realized that he'd been steadily gaining ground on Katja. _I think I can shoot at this speed,_ he told himself. He reached for an arrow, and began to prep for his attack. "Target-"

The snake-like plume of black and bright red smoke that was Maria suddenly solidified. She reared upon Franz as he approached, and sent a ball of lightning flying at him. He had to slow dramatically to avoid the hit, and then nearly fell off of the aeroboard. The only thing that kept Franz from panicking was that, out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Katja had stopped running soon after Maria. She was now gazing in his direction, though Franz couldn't pick up her expression because she was too far away.

"Katja-" Franz began to call, being cut off as another electric attack nearly hit him. _Why have you stopped running? Can . . . can you only run when the Hapasky is escorting you or something? If so, then she's as good as gone . . ._

"I won't let you take my friend!" Franz hissed at Maria as she sent yet another attack at him. "Target; locked-" Franz felt as if a target that only he could sense had been fastened to Maria's middle. She began to prep another ball of electricity, seemingly her preferred long-range attack at the moment, but Franz said "Release" before she managed to strike, and his arrow flew directly into his stomach. She gagged, but as the arrow vanished Franz realized that the hit had not been enough to de-virtualize her. He was thus not prepared for her next attack, and was hit in the leg by a ball of electricity, and the force of the blast caused him to fall from his aeroboard.

Once Franz had had blinked away his disorientation, he heard Nancy inform him that he'd lost half of his life points. He cursed, and then glanced back in Maria's direction to see her engaging in Valentina. As he'd fallen, Matthias and Valentina had joined the fight. Valentina had charged Maria, forcing her to focus her efforts on defending herself. Matthias had begun to engage Katja a bit further away; after he'd sent a ball of electricity in her direction, she'd begun to fight him. Someone who could attack her from a distance, as Waldo would have been able to, seemed to warrant immediate de-virtualization.

Matthias and Katja both specialized in close combat battle on Diitto. That was why he managed to engage her in the first place, being able to dodge her initial attack. She had tried to finish him off swiftly with an _excavate_, though had missed, instead scraping his shoulder. Matthias summoned his sword as a shield against her next volley of attacks, and it took his all to keep from being hit again. Katja was too fast to land a hit on as long as she was attacking.

Franz managed to stand as Valentina let out a startled shriek. Maria had grabbed Valentina's shoulders, and the resulting burn had begun to transform her into a thousand white panels. As Franz hastily shot Maria with another arrow, she also began to de-virtualize, not prepared for the surprise attack. Unfortunately, Valentina's scream had drawn Matthias's attention as well. Her name had not fully escaped his lips when he gagged, attention suddenly returning to his own opponent. Katja had landed a hit.

"Excavate," she said coldly, twisting the tip of her curved dagger into Matthias's middle to begin his immediate de-virtualization.

"Katja!" Franz screamed, beginning to run at his friend. As soon as she'd withdrawn her dagger from Matthias, she'd begun to run to the waytower once more. "Katja! Snap out of it!"

Franz watched the girl melt into the side of the tower. Luckily, he was only a few moments behind her at this point. "Katja, wait, please-" he began, watching as, within the tower, she leaned forward and fell into the point of the star that was the mark of Diitto she was closest to. Franz dove after her, not bothering to check which sector he was switching to.

A tickling sensation, and dozens of white panels, and a few heartbeats later, Franz was standing on the floor of a tower identical to the one he'd just left. He watched as Katja disappeared into the wall before him into a series of pulsations, and, heart beating franticly, followed her.

The swamp sector met Franz outside the tower, and not surprisingly the sky was darkened. Everything in sight was a dark green or brown, including Franz's mud-colored costume in that sector. The area surrounding him was fairly densely packed with large swamp trees whose roots protruded far above the ground in places. Scanning his surroundings, Franz quickly found Katja, standing roughly fifteen meters away beside a tree near the edge of the sector . . .

It was at that time that the most horrible feeling Franz could possibly imagine surged through him. Someone from the bunker shouted something at him, but Franz didn't hear. He didn't even hear himself scream her name as he watched Katja take a step forward, her eyes locked ahead of her. Franz positioned his bow, readied an arrow, and shot it at Katja's side. But she'd taken another step, and instead of landing a direct hit Franz barely grazed her life points.

_Katja, fight it, don't do this! _

Franz tried to fire another arrow at Katja, but she didn't waste another second. Another step, and she was leaning dangerously forward. In less than a second she had disappeared from sight, though Franz felt as if an eternity had passed. He screamed again, and released another arrow. Had Katja not already been falling, it would have hit her square on the nose; she'd turned to face him for the smallest fraction of a second before vanishing.

"KATJA!" Franz screamed, his throat closing painfully. He dropped his bow and ran to the edge of the sector, his entire body shaking as he searched for some sight of Katja. "KATJA! KATJA! KAAATTTTJJJJA!"

"Franz, she's gone," came a teary voice from above in between sobs. "She jumped into the digital sea."

It took a few heartbeats for Nancy's words to sink in. Franz felt as if all the life had drained from him as he sank to his knees, then to the ground, and covered his face with his hands as the darkness in the sky above vanished.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I had writer's block, I guess. Not the block where I couldn't come up with anything to write – I still know exactly where the story is going. It was the type of block where I simply couldn't sit down and write. But a couple days ago I suddenly had to start writing again, and this section of the story had to be written. Thus I wrote it. I hope it lives up to the expectations I'd built up in the past year . . . I'm sorry guys. :/

I'm going to have to sit down and re-read the entire story once or twice before I can begin work on Part Ten, however. (Before writing this section, I simply reread the last few sections leading up to it.) Thus I am 99% sure the next section won't be up for a couple of weeks. I'll try to have something up by mid July though.

In the meantime, if anyone intends to continue reading as I write, might I suggest that you reread the story as well? I might go and make some tiny changes to the story as I reread it (such as giving more Russian spellings to the Russian exchange students' names) but I keep a list of those things in the first chapter.

As always, thanks to everyone who has read my story to this point. ~Lav


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